It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better
by Sid B
Summary: An old friend shows up in Newport baring a secret, and finding themselves without any friends or family. How will the Newport Gang handle the return? I'm BACK! With a new chapter! YAY!
1. Prologue

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING from the O.C. . . . I wish I did, but sadly, I do not._

**Prologue**

Blankets of rain poured down on Newport in a constant stream, soaking anything and anyone who had the unfortunate luck of being outside in it. The woman quickened her pace after seeing a distinct flash of lightening go off overhead. Despite the fact that the unnaturally long driveway was becoming more and more slippery, the teenager still kept her stride.

Finally, she reaches her destination. Taking a deep breath, a delicate hand reaches up and rings the doorbell.

* * *

No sooner had the food touched everyone's plate, when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Seth Cohen was already halfway to the door by the time everyone heard what he had said.

The big, goofy grin he wore as he opened the door disappeared the instant he recognized who was standing before him.

"Alex? What are you doing here?" Seth motioned for the soaking wet girl to walk into the house.

Alex looked at her ex-boyfriend with tears in her eyes, " Something bad happened when I went back to L.A. I can't go back there again, and I couldn't think of any one else so . . . can I stay here for awhile?"

"Of course! But what happened to you?" Seth's mind finally caught up with him and the rest of the situation.

Alex was freely crying as she began removing her coat, "I was . . . raped," she heard Seth gasp, "And now I'm pregnant."

Seth looked down at the slight swell of her stomach as she took her coat off completely. To be completely honest, if Alex hadn't drawn attention to it, he probably would not have noticed the protrusion. But he didn't have time to think about that at that exact second. He was too busy holding his friend while trying to gently stop her tears. Alex, for her part, stood there holding onto Seth as if he were her lifeline.

They stood in the middle of the hallway, Alex, crying a little more softly then she had been, and Seth, holding her as he rubbed circles on her back and again tried to get her to stop crying.

"Hey Seth? I was sent to look for you. Everyone's afraid you got . . ." Marissa stopped dead in her tracks, "Alex?"

* * *

_Ok, so here is my first story!!! Please tell me what you think!!!!!! Yours truly, Sid._


	2. Chapter 1

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING from the O.C. . . . I wish I did, but sadly, I do not._

**

* * *

Chapter 1**

Marissa stood frozen in the hallway, trying to decipher whether or not the scene before her was actually playing out. Though it was entirely possible that Alex could be hugging Seth, the fact that she was back and that they were looking at each other wasn't fully processing in her brain.

"Marissa? What are you doing here?" Alex had let go of Seth and was in the process of wiping her eyes.

"I could ask you the same question," Marissa nearly jumped at how cold her own voice sounded. She hadn't meant it to come out that harsh.

"Um, Alex needs to escape for awhile, so she's gonna stay here with us!" Seth figured that he should stop the awkward situation from getting worse. He didn't need any more drama in his life.

Marissa stared at Alex, trying to figure out if that was really what was going on. Alex, however, wasn't contradicting him so Marissa decided that she could deal with that story . . . for now.

After a few more cumbersome staring matches, the trio decided to head back to the dining room. Sitting around the elegant table were the Cohens, the Nichols and Summer, all eating and enjoying as much of a family meal as one could get with that group. As Marissa, Seth and Alex entered, silence filled the room. Sandy, Kirsten and Caleb looked at the kids with small amounts of curiosity; Ryan and Summer were completely stunned silent; and Julie, who had originally taken a drink, was partially choking on her wine. While that choking experience might have been endlessly entertaining any other time, Alex didn't feel that it was a good moment to mention the hilarity of that image. Some things were better left for a later time.

"What the hell are you doing here?!?" Obviously, the Julie Cooper-Nichol is never fazed for very long.

"Julie!" Kirsten gasped. Kirsten knew that Julie had never been one to hide her emotions, but sometimes she was just plain rude, "Alex, I'm sorry. There should be a polite question hidden somewhere in that, but you know Julie!"

Kirsten attempt at humor was lost on everyone.

"Yeah, Mom, it's only funny when Dad and I do it!" Seth told Kirsten, " Anyway, can Alex stay with us for a little while?"

Sandy and Kirsten looked at each other and nodded. They really didn't have a problem with Alex, despite how Seth behaved when he was with her. Alex did, however save their anniversary, so they really couldn't complain too much about her. Plus, she had that look on her face that said they were her last hope. Sandy and Kirsten Cohen would not be themselves if they were to turn down a teenager in need.

The room again fell in to an uncomfortable silence. Most were moving their food around their plates, making it seem like they actually hadn't lost their appetites. The rest sat there pretending this actually wasn't happening.

"Hey Alex, you hungry? Because I can pull up a chair if you . . ." Sandy started.

"No thank you, Mr. Cohen. I already ate, but thanks for offering," Alex really did not wasn't to stay in there longer than necessary. It was bad enough that she had seen Marissa, but the entire family? Making herself scarce was at the very top of Alex's list of things to do.

"I was hoping I could lie down? I haven't really slept all that well," Alex looked pleadingly at Seth's parents, hoping that someone would say-

"Of course, Alex. Why don't you take Seth's room for the night, he'll take the couch, and then we can work out the serious kinks in the sleeping arrangements," Kirsten piped in, "You still remember where his room is, right?"

"Of course," Alex turned, walked up out of the room, and started upstairs. As she heard the rain beating down on the windowpane, Alex Kelly couldn't help but hope that things would literally and hypothetically look better in the morning.

* * *

Ok, here is the second part!!!! ~ Sid


	3. Chapter 2

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING from the O.C. . . . I wish I did, but sadly, I do not._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

After spending almost two hours in the washroom trying to control her nausea, Alex- or the baby, it was still pretty hard to tell which- decided that she really needed to eat. She then proceeded down into the kitchen.

As Alex walked through the doorway, everyone from the night before (minus Caleb) immediately stopped talking.

"Oh, please, don't stop talking about me on my account! Just pretend I'm not here!" Alex was not exactly pleasant when she was nauseous.

"Well, hello to you too, Starshine!" the sarcasm that was dripping from Seth's voice did not mask the concern that was there.

"Wow. I know you just got up and all, but the least you could have done was put a decent amount of clothes on before coming downstairs," Julie was not trying very hard to hide her dislike of Alex.

Alex glanced down at what she was currently wearing. She had on a low-cut black camisole that was stretched tight around her stomach, and a pair of red boy shorts. There was nothing wrong with her attire, it was just, what with the constant changes happening in her body, Alex could filled out her clothes a lot more than she used to. Alex looked back up at the group and thought briefly about telling Julie off, but she thought better of it. At least one of them had to act like an adult.

"So . . . we have pancakes here for breakfast, if you want," Sandy announced, trying to draw attention off of the poor girl.

Alex was about to accept the offer of food when her nausea came back in full force, sending her running for the washroom. She barely made it in before she started throwing up.

* * * * * * *

Kirsten Cohen was not normally one to stumble in where she was not wanted, but when she heard her most recent houseguest being violently ill in the washroom, she went to investigate.

When she saw Alex, she felt awful for the young woman. Alex was sitting on the floor, leaning up against the toilet, her body wracked with sobs. Her continuous shaking as she clutched at her stomach, was heart breaking. So, doing the only thing she could think of, Kirsten sat down beside her, pulled her hair up, and rubbed small circles on her back.

"Are you okay?" It was cliché and a stupid question, but it had to be asked.

"My life is so screwed up! I don't know how I'm gonna get through this!" Alex was clinging to the other woman, as if she were her lifeline.

Kirsten let the girl's words sink in, and then really took a look at her. Everything suddenly fell into place.

"How far along are you in your pregnancy?"

* * *

I decided to post the first three parts today, so I hope you tell me what you think before I post any more.

I have written 13 chapters so far, so after I start getting feedback, I will update more!!! ~ Sid


	4. Chapter 3

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING from the O.C. . . . I wish I did, but sadly, I do not._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"You know," Alex wasn't surprised. Kirsten never struck her as an unintelligent person. Plus she was obviously intuitive.

"It was a lucky guess. But I can't figure out what I'm missing," Kirsten knew that she hadn't guessed everything. She was just hoping that Alex would trust her enough to tell her the rest.

The two women sat together in silence for a few minutes before Alex started to talk. She wasn't very specific, all she talked about was the general situation; that she had been back with her parents for two months when she had been raped. When she told them, they didn't believe her, the cop who had found her that night, or the doctor who had examined her. So, instead of talking to her, her parents threw her out . . . again. Then she had found out she was pregnant. Alex had tried to stay in L.A. for as long as possible, but all of the constant reminders of her parents and the attack were killing her.

"So I came back," Alex glanced over at Kirsten, "Though, I'm really sorry that I've put all this on you. I'll be out of here as soon as I save up enough to get an apartment."

"No way," Alex looked almost devastated at Kirsten reply, so she quickly continued, " You are going to live here for at least a year. There is no way in hell that I am going to let you leave here without you having any idea about what to do after you've had your baby! That is NOT going to happen!"

"But . . ."

"This is not up for discussion. You _will_ be staying here!"

"M-mrs. Cohen, you really don't have to. I've lived on my own for years, I can take care of myself," Alex was still a little taken aback by Kirsten's forcefulness.

"I want to. Even you need to be taken care of once in a while."

Kirsten was started when Alex hugged her, tears threatening to fall.

"Thank you"

* * * * * *

After making sure that they looked presentable, Kirsten and Alex went back out into the kitchen. Sandy and Julie were sitting at the table talking, while the kids were nowhere to be found.

"The kids are in the pool house, if you want to join them, Alex," Sandy said, obviously reading her mind.

After she had left, Sandy and Julie fixed Kirsten with a hard stare. Kirsten was a little hesitant to tell the pair what was going on, but Alex had only asked that she didn't tell Ryan, Summer or Marissa. Especially not Marissa. So, as she sat down, Kirsten started telling them what she had just been told.

* * * * * *

Alex had found a pair of her sweatpants in her bag while she was on her way to the pool house. She pulled them on as she reached the door.

Ryan, Summer, Seth and Marissa were all sitting around playing some random video game. As Alex entered, they all looked up. The awkward silence that fell upon them was almost deafening. Ryan, Summer and Marissa stared up at Alex scrutinizing her, while Seth looked like he was going to crack and spill everything the second someone looked at him the wrong way.

"Soooooo, uh, long time, no see Alex. How have you been?" Summer decided to be the first to break the ice. '_Why put off the inevitable?_' she thought.

"Pregnant," Seth muttered.

"I've been good," Alex shot Seth a death glare, "How have all of you been?"

"Good," the trio said in unison.

"Listen, Ryan. I figured since I'm gonna be staying here for a while, I should probably apologize. I mean for the beer can and the ex-cons and stuff," Alex was trying to make it so that he would know that she actually meant it.

"Yeah, umm, I'm sorry too. About the bonfire, and stuff," Ryan stammered out. They both glanced at Marissa and thought back to what happened months ago. 

**_At the bonfire, Marissa had just walked up to Ryan_**

_Marissa: (smiles) This is going great!_

_Ryan: (turns around and smiles then it goes) Not for long _

_(Marissa turns around to where Ryan is looking. we see Alex walking up with 2 rough looking guys)_

_Marissa: (smiles) Hey, what are you doing here? (Alex looks at Ryan) Are these your friends?_

_Alex: Yeah, they're to see Ryan._

_Ryan: (smiles) You've gotta be kidding me._

_Guy: (walks over to Ryan) Why do you think this is funny?_

_Marissa: Hey!_

_(The 2 big guys push Ryan)_

_Marissa: Guys stop it, guys seriously stop it. (Stands in front of Alex and yells) Ok cut it out! _

_(The cheerleaders stop dancing and everyone goes quiet. Ryan is standing between the 2 guys with his arms out keeping them away from him. Marissa sees that everyone is looking at them)_

_Marissa: Oh no. Not you guys, you guys are great! (Claps) Go Harbor! (Puts her fist in the air) _

_(The cheering, dancing etc starts again)_

_Marissa: (turns around to Alex) This is between you and me._

_Alex: Fine, then lets talk. You and me._

_Marissa: Fine_

_Ryan: (to one of the guys) I like the wrist cuff._

_(Alex and Marissa walk away from everybody to a deserted spot further down the beach)_

_Marissa: You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?_

_Alex: I just wanna talk_

_Marissa: You wanna talk, why don't you tell me why you brought two skeazy ex cons to my school bonfire?_

_Alex: (yells) I am sorry if I interrupted your bonfire, it just seems like that's all you ever do lately!_

_Marissa: (yells) Well I didn't realize moving in with you meant giving up my life_

_Alex: I didn't ask you to give up your life; all I ever wanted was to be apart of it_

_Marissa: Well this (points) is my life ok...that's it...so what do you think?_

_(Alex looks at Marissa; Marissa sits down on a log. Alex goes and sits across from her)_

_Alex: (upset) ...I think...this is your life...(almost crying) and I don't fit in (Marissa looks away) pep rally's, cheerleaders...boys_

_Marissa: Nothing happened with Ryan._

_Alex: Yeah not yet but what, do you give it a week, a month_

_(Marissa looks down, upset. Alex is looking away as well, teary)_

_Marissa: (upset) I really wanted this to work between us (a tear falls) (Alex nods) look I'm sorry if I hurt you_

_Alex: (closes her eyes) I'm sorry...that I brought two skeazy ex cons to your bonfire (Marissa smiles) actually one of them ever really served time but _

_Marissa: (nods, looks at Alex) ...So what happens now?_

_Alex: Who knows...think I might go back home, (Marissa looks shocked and heartbroken) save some money, go back to school (nods) that actually looks kinda fun._

_Marissa: (turns around) Yeah, from really far away! (smiles)_

_(Alex looks at Marissa, teary. Marissa looks at Alex just as sad then they both stand up and hug. Alex holds onto Marissa tightly. Marissa holds onto Alex tightly, another tear fall and she sniffs. Alex has her head buried in Marissa's shoulder with her eyes closed, after a little while they pull apart)_

_Alex: Come on...your gonna miss the human pyramid (laughs) (Marissa laughs)_

_(They both walk back over towards the bonfire together. we see the cheerleaders making the pyramid. everyone claps and cheers)_

_Ryan: (to one of the guys) Pretty good, huh? (the guy doesn't say anything) Not into the school spirit thing, that's cool._

_(Ryan looks at his watch and Alex touches his back. He turns around. Marissa is standing behind Alex)_

_Alex: I'm sorry (sniffs) it wasn't about you._

_Ryan: I know, that's ok._

_(Alex turns around and looks at Marissa, Marissa looks at Alex one last time. they both half smile then Alex walks off with the 2 rough guys. Marissa watches Alex leave for a second then moves closer to Ryan) _

The silence was back. It was like everyone was thinking the same thing. It was hard for Alex to be there with them after that. Shortly after they got back together, Marissa and Ryan broke up again. They hadn't been together since, and Marissa had realized a little too late that her feelings for Ryan had long since disappeared and that they were MUCH better off as friends. Her feelings for Alex, however, were stronger than ever. She just didn't know how she could prove that to her again.

The group had been silent for almost ten whole minutes, when Julie came storming into the pool house looking more pissed off than usual.

"You low-down, despicable, no-good slut!!" Julie stood in front of Alex, yelling at the very confused girl, "You are NEVER going to come near my daughter again!!"

Julie nearly ripped Marissa's arm off as she began dragging her out of the room.

"JULIE!!!!!!!" Kirsten ran into the room with Sandy, "You did not let me finish!!!"

"I don't need to hear the rest!" Julie turned and pointed at Alex, "My daughter will not be hanging around with some stupid punk rocker whore who gets herself KNOCKED UP!!!"

The room went deadly quiet. Everyone looked at Alex in shock, while Alex looked at the floor.

"You- you're . . . pregnant?" Marissa stared at Alex, wide-eyed.

Alex didn't answer. She just pushed past Kirsten and Sandy, and ran out the door. Kirsten watched her run off, torn between going after her and telling Julie off. She had turned to give Julie a piece of her mind when:

"Raped, Julie," Seth was having a hard time containing his anger, "She was raped. She came here because she was hoping that we could be the family that she never had. Maybe you should hear the entire story before you go jumping to conclusions. It might do you some good, some day!"

Seth turned and ran out after Alex.

After he left, everyone in the room was thinking only one thing:

_Alex was raped, and now she's pregnant?_

_

* * *

So here is more of it. And thank you to miralinda, audiodream, German_girl, nora90, KSP33, The Anthem, crooksey18, and Last Munichorn for your really sweet reviews. You guys rock!!!!! ;)_


	5. Chapter 4

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING from the O.C. . . . I wish I did, but sadly, I do not._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

2 WEEKS LATER

"I can't believe Mom didn't come!" Seth muttered in anger.

"Couldn't, Seth. She COULDN'T come."

"She promised that she was going to be here!"

"Seth."

"She should have blown it off! You are much more import-"

"SETH!!!" Alex's yelling completely cut him off, "It's okay! I don't mind, she does have a very important meeting to go to. Relax!"

The pair were waiting for Alex's OBGYN at her 20 week check up. Alex was now showing quite a bit; she looked like she was seven or eight months pregnant instead of five, though Alex just chalked it up as her finally being well-fed. It was going to be her first ultrasound, and Alex and the rest of the Cohens were terribly excited. Alex had originally asked Kirsten to come with her, but at the last minute, Kirsten had to go to a meeting. So Kirsten had sent Seth, who was causing the normally relaxed Alex to become agitated.

"Seth, stop fidgeting."

"I'm not!"

Alex looked pointedly at his leg, which had been bouncing around for the past twenty minutes.

Seth was about to apologize when a nurse came out and called Alex's name. The teens followed the woman into a room, and the nurse asked Alex to sit on the exam table. They were left alone for less than a minute when the doctor strode in.

"Hi Alex!" the redheaded woman said as she hugged Alex.

"Hey Bridget, how are you?" Alex replied in a very happy tone.

"Aren't I supposed to be asking you that?" the doctor looked at Seth for the first time, "Oh! You must be Seth. Alex has told me a lot about you!"

Seth, who had been unnaturally quiet, shook hands with the very cheery doctor as he formally introduced himself.

Alex and Bridget started talking as Bridget ran the usual routine tests. When she was finished, she told Alex to lift up her shirt.

"Al, you've been gaining a little more weight than you should be. It isn't a major concern, I just want to make sure everything is alright with you and the baby," Bridget took the gel out and started putting it on Alex's stomach, "Plus, your sister would KILL me if anything happened to you or her niece or nephew."

Alex smiled at the woman. Bridget Edwards had been friends with Alex's sister Samantha since the two of them were five. Bridget was another sister to Alex, and was very happy when Alex asked her to be her OB. 'At least everything is looking good for the baby, ' Bridget thought, 'Hold on . .'

Bridget had been rolling the wand around Alex's stomach, pointing out the baby's head, fingers, toes, etc. to the anxious duo. When she had gotten back to the middle, she noticed something else . . .

"Umm, Al do twins run in your family?"

"Other than my dad and his brother, no," Alex raised her eyebrow at the doctor, "Why?"

All Bridget did was point to the screen. There, displayed on the monitor were two head-shapes. With two bodies attached to them. This could only mean one thing.

"Does that mean I get to be an uncle twice-over?" Seth was bouncing around like a fool. He had never been so happy in his life.

Alex just sat there staring at the monitor. She had just gotten used to the fact that she was having one baby, but now she had two to think about?

"Oh My God."

* * * * * * *

"Do I really have to wait for them?"

Alex and Seth had been sitting in Alex's jeep for the past twenty minutes waiting for Harbor High school to let out. Seth, Ryan, Summer, and Marissa had a project that they had to do together, so they were all going to work on it at the Cohens. Sandy was supposed to pick the other three up, but he had gotten held up in traffic. So, Seth had volunteered Alex for the job. Which meant that Alex had to see Marissa.

Seth was about to answer when a fist swung and hit him in the arm. He jumped, clutching his arm and looked over to see a very pissed off Summer, and an awkward looking Marissa and Ryan.

"Where were you today Cohen? I was looking for you ALL DAY and I couldn't find you!! You didn't even call!!!" Summer had her fist raised again when Alex promptly told her where he had been.

"Well why didn't you say that, Cohen?" Summer asked as she was climbing into the backseat, with the other two following close behind.

Seth pouted and muttered under his breath as Alex pulled out of the school parking lot.

The entire drive home, no one spoke. Even Seth succumbed to the awkward silence that seemed to constantly surround them. Every so often, Seth would reach over to the driver's seat and rub Alex's stomach, causing her to smack his hand away from her. To the three in the back, this looked like Seth was just being really annoying, but in actual fact, Seth was reminding his "sister" that he would always be there for her. And the twins.

* * * * * * *

They all sat in the Cohen kitchen talking about the project. Even Alex was contributing considering her unnaturally vast knowledge of Greek mythology.

"I'm part Greek. My mom used to tell me stories when I was little." Alex just shrugged of the very surprised looks the other four shot her.

They were spread out all through the kitchen. Alex was standing with her back to the door, Summer and Marissa were sitting at the table, which Ryan and Seth made them all (including Alex) something to eat. They were all trying to rattle of ideas about how to present their project, when the front door opened and closed, and Kirsten came into the room.

Kirsten walked up to Alex and kissed her on the cheek, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there today. How did it go?"

Alex didn't get a chance to answer because no sooner had the words left Kirsten's mouth that another voice hit everyone's ears.

"Kiki I don't see why we had to rush back here! The kids are doing a project; they have no reason to be getting into any . . ." The word 'trouble' was lost on Julie's lips when she stepped into the room and saw Alex.

"Aww, Crap!" Seth said what everyone else was thinking.

_

* * *

So here is more of it. And thank you to miralinda, audiodream, German_girl, nora90, KSP33, The Anthem, crooksey18, and Last Munichorn for your really sweet reviews. You guys rock!!!!! ;)_


	6. Chapter 5

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better**_

_**Disclaimer:** See prior chapters. . . . _

**

* * *

Chapter 5**

_"Kiki I don't see why we had to rush back here! The kids are doing a project; they have no reason to be getting into any . . ." The word 'trouble' was lost on Julie's lips when she stepped into the room and saw Alex. _

_"Aww, Crap!" Seth said what everyone else was thinking._

Julie stood there looking a bit stunned. She had realized that she was going to see Alex again, but she hadn't thought it would be so soon after her ever-so-slightly embarrassing performance last time they were in the same room together. Julie still hadn't had time to regain her dignity after taking that last hit. Julie Cooper-Nichol did not suffer from a bruised ego often, but when she did, she had to stoop down to a low that she despised going down to.

"Alex," Julie started, "I guess I should be apologizing for the way I behaved two weeks ago."

Ryan leaned over and whispered to Alex, "She looks like she's in pain! Does it really take that much effort for her to apologize to someone?"

Alex had a hard time suppressing the laughter that threatened to escape after Ryan's comment. Who knew he was funny?

"It's alright Julie," Alex was really trying to sound genuine for everyone else's sake, "It's over and done with, and frankly, I've moved on!"

As an after thought, she added, "And plus! I like your pants!"

So the temporary truce had been set. Julie was forced stop being a pain in the ass due to the fact that Alex became the bigger woman and accepted the apology. Knowing she had overstepped her boundaries in the Cohen household, Julie made a hasty retreat without even saying goodbye.

"Wow Al, you have to teach me the secret of how to get Julie Cooper out of the house that quickly!" Sandy announced as he entered the kitchen, take-out in hand.

"Sure, but not before I get food in my stomach!" Everyone in the room smiled at that comment.

* * * * *

"Alex tell us something about yourself," Sandy said while they were all eating, " Its a tradition that we make everyone do!"

Alex looked around the table, "Umm, I have tattoos?"

"Something about your family," Kirsten added.

"Oh! I know!! Alex is Greek, and she has a sister!" Summer exclaimed.

"Thanks Sum, " Sandy and Kirsten looked at her expectantly, "But that is not completely correct. I'm half Greek and I have five sisters."

That was unexpected. One sister, they were expecting. Maybe even two, but FIVE . . . that was very unexpected.

"What are their names?" Marissa asked, trying to be as nonchalant about her serious curiosity as humanly possible.

"Penelope is the oldest. Samantha is the second oldest, and is my surrogate mother as she practically raised me. Dorinda is a total bitch. She is in love with herself, and looks up to no one. Helena is more outgoing and energetic. Thea is the party animal. She cannot be found unless you are looking during the night. I am the youngest." Alex shrugged, " See? There's nothing interesting about that!"

"Oh, but there is!" Sandy exclaimed, " Now you can add two brothers onto your sibling list."

Everyone chuckled a little, and then went back to eating. Sumer and Marissa sat talking about the latest Newport fashions, Ryan was reading a book on architecture in Italy, and Seth, his parents and Alex were talking about life in general.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Alex ran to her purse and pulled out the ultrasound picture.

Alex ran back and pointed to a head, while she let the Cohens guess. They sat there Oohing and Awwing trying to pretend they knew what the extra blob in the picture was.

"It's a second head!" At everyone's overly confused faces, Alex added, "I'm having twins."

_

* * *

Here's ch. 5!!!!!! I hope you like it!!!!!!!! :D._

_By the way. . reviews will help me write ch. 14 faster. . . . Y'know. Just saying._


	7. Chapter 6

**_It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better_**

**

* * *

Disclaimer:_ I know I don't own the O.C. . . don't make me repeat it. _**

**Chapter 6**

"So we're having an ice cream celebration."

Sandy glared at Seth, "Yes son, for the fiftieth time, we ARE having an ice cream celebration to celebrate Alex having twins. Is that a problem?"

By this point, Sandy was standing over Seth, looking down at him, daring him to question this impromptu ice cream trip once again. Seth made the smart decision to remain silent.

After Alex's announcement and their guests' departure, the Cohens had decided to make a run down to the pier for ice cream. Alex and Kirsten were walking up in front, talking about baby-related things, while Sandy and the boys brought up the rear, not wanting to be warped into THAT conversation.

"Aren't you going to tell everyone about your 'plan'?" Kirsten turned around and asked Sandy.

"Ah, yes. The plan," Sandy looked around at the teenagers, "You see, technically, this ice cream trip had three purposes: One, we can celebrate the fact that Alex is having twins; two, we can officially initiate Alex into the Cohen clan; and three, we can get cartons of ice cream so that yours truly will not be making runs to the store at 3 am to satisfy someone's baby-craving."

"Nice," Alex, Seth and Ryan said in unison, causing the group to erupt in laughter.

After a few more minutes, the family made it to the ice cream stand. They all ordered what they wanted while Sandy paid for it all. The Cohens then went to walk around town.

The family had just rounded a corner when Alex walked right into someone.

"Oh God! I am so sorry! I was not paying attention!" Alex said as she helped pick up the woman's fallen purse.

"It is all right, Alexandra."

Alex's head snapped up at the sound of her name. It was only then that she realized whom she had run into.

"Mom?" Alex was almost praying that she was seeing things.

"It has been a long time. How are you?" Alex's mother, Adrianna asked the girl.

"I'm good. How are you?" Alex suddenly turned shy at the sight of her mother, "Where's Dad?"

"We're good. Your father is around here somewhere," Alex visibly shuddered at her mother's words. He was the very last person she wanted to see.

Yet, despite that fact, the man in question walked out of a store and up to Adrianna.

"So, they didn't have it. Why in God's name would John tell me that they had what I was looking for if they have never carried it in that store! I need to have a serious word with that man when we get home," Andrew Kelly noticed the guilty look on his wife's face and turned to look in the same direction, "Oh, why didn't you tell me you were talking to someone. Do you know these people, Adrian-"

Andrew's eyes fell on his daughter. His obviously fake smile turned scowl within seconds. The Cohens took a step backwards.

"Hey Dad," Alex felt the sudden urge to take off in the other direction. Forget Julie Cooper, Andrew Kelly was the most heartless and terrifying person Alex had ever met, hands down.

"What are you doing here, ingrate?" Andrew spat at his youngest daughter.

Everyone standing around the pair were shocked. What man calls his daughter such a rude and hurtful name?

Alex was about to respond to the insult when her father's eyes dropped down to her obviously swollen stomach. 'Oh, shit' Alex thought, 'And now he knows.'

"You got yourself pregnant?" The remark was so cold; people could have mistaken it for then next Ice Age.

"Technically, someone else got me . . ."

Alex had no chance to finish her comment because a hand connected with the left side of her face. Just the force of the slap caused Alex to stumble back a few steps.

"How dare you speak to me like that! After all that I've done for you, you disgrace me in this way? You ungrateful little slut!"

Andrew backhanded Alex, and Alex fell to the ground. Within an instant, Sandy was standing inches away from him.

"I suggest you walk away now before I disable you from walking at all," Sandy was not one for fighting, but these were extenuating circumstances.

"And just how are you going to do that?" Andrew shoved Sandy backwards, "She's my daughter, and I'm allowed to do whatever I want to her!"

Sandy had heard enough. He was getting ready to punch the asshole, when Alex stepped in front of him.

"Walk away, Sandy. He isn't worth it," Alex pleaded with him, "I don't want there to be a fight over me."

Sandy and Alex turned back to the Kellys, but they were already walking away. That was over way too quickly for Alex's liking. Andrew Kelly never walked away from a fight, but Alex was in too much pain to think about it further.

"Σ αγαπώ. Ελπίζω ότι ξέρετε αυτόν. Και λυπάμαι ότι εάμαι μια τέτοια ντροπή." Alex yelled to her mother in Greek. _'I love you. I hope you know that. And I am sorry that I am such a disgrace.'_

Adrianna Kelly turned around to face Alex with tears in her eyes, "Σ αγαπώ, η κόρη μου. Δεν θα είστε ποτέ ντροπή στα μάτια μου. Μην ξεχάστε ποτέ αυτός."

Then she walked away_. 'I love you, my daughter. You shall never be a disgrace in my eyes. Never forget that.'_

* * * * * * * * *

Back at the Cohens, Alex sat on the couch in the living room with Kirsten alternating between holding an icepack to her right cheek and then to her left.

"You really don't need to do this," Alex protested, "It doesn't even hurt anymore!"

Kirsten ignored her. Alex may be a badass on the outside, but even a 'badass' is allowed to admit to feeling pain. Alex may fool most, but that act did nothing for Kirsten. Alex turned her head to face Kirsten and had opened her mouth to speak when Marissa and Summer charged in the room.

"Oh God, Al!!! Are you okay . . . I mean, obviously not, but are you hurting? What happened? Seth was pathetically stingy on the details!" Marissa sped through those sentences in one breath.

"I'm fine. I just got hit . . . by my Dad," Alex looked away from the fiery woman. The incident was not something she wanted to talk about.

"Your Dad hit you? For what reason?" Summer was taken aback. Was Alex father really abusive? Is that why she got emancipated?

"Hey you guys, why don't you lay off of the questions for awhile and hang with me and Seth in the pool house." Ryan, who had just re-entered the room, suggested to the girls.

"Yeah, I was going to put Alex to bed anyways," Kirsten said.

"You know, Kirsten, I can do that!" Marissa chimed in, "That is, if you want, Alex."

Alex shrugged and started up the stairs to her room. Marissa followed her up there after a couple of minutes later.

When Marissa walked into the bedroom, Alex was sitting on her bed sobbing. She had kept her emotions well hidden in front of everybody, despite her hormones, but now, the weight of the entire evening just came down onto her. Alex could not help the floodgates from opening . . . even if it was in front of Marissa.

"Oh Honey, it will be okay. You have all of us here for you, you will have the twins; it will get better. Plus, I'll be here. I promise I won't leave you," Marissa held Alex close to her, and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You did before. How do I know you won't do it again?" Alex really wanted to believe everything Marissa said, but she didn't know if she could trust her with her heart again.

"Because I've learned from my mistakes."

After Alex had stopped bawling, Marissa stood Alex up and started to take her clothes off for her. Alex had become an empty shell; she had wanted to get out of her clothes and get into bed, but because of her dejected state, she was unable to force her own body to move on its own accord.

Marissa had finished peeling off Alex's shirt and had knelt down to unzip her pants when she looked at Alex's belly. Really looked at it. Alex had been gaining a lot weight in the past couple of weeks, and despite what she said, pregnancy worked well with her body.

Marissa brought her hand up and rubbed it on Alex's baby bump, "So beautiful," she murmured on Alex's skin before she placed two gentle kisses on her stomach.

Despite wanting to continue to lavish Alex's body, Marissa stopped herself and just helped her out of her pants, and into bed. Marissa had every intention of leaving, but Alex grabbed onto her wrist before she could.

"Stay." It wasn't a question, but Marissa was given the choice to leave if she wanted.

But she stayed. Marissa took off her socks and pants, and climbed into bed with Alex, pulling the other girl back so that she was spooning her.

Marissa was almost asleep when she heard a soft voice in the darkness, "I love you, Rissa."

Marissa smiled a sad smile, "I love you too, Al."

Both girls then fell asleep with tears running down their cheeks.

_

* * *

Sooo. . . here's chapter 6. . . I hope you all enjoy!!!!_


	8. Chapter 7

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

_Disclaimer: I refuse to depress myself further by repeating it. . . . So there!_

**Chapter 7**

The morning after "the incident", Alex was laying in bed watching Marissa sleep. She was trying to figure out how they had ended up in the slightly compromising situation. During the night, they had gone from Marissa spooning Alex to Marissa lying on top of Alex, their legs completely entangled with Marissa's hand under Alex's shirt resting just under her breast. Alex had tried to get out of her bed six times, but to no avail. Marissa had her completely trapped, and there was nothing the blonde could do about it.

Alex was about to try again when Marissa shifted her weight, and pushed her hand further up Alex's shirt, causing Alex to let out a small moan when the brunette's hand came to rest fully on her breast. _'Jeez, she is trying to kill me! I was horny enough BEFORE she went and did that.'_ Alex thought.

Just as Alex was going to attempt to remove herself from an already difficult situation, Kirsten burst into the room.

"Alex, Julie just called. Do you know what happened to Marissa last night . . . OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!"

Both Alex and Marissa jumped up at Kirsten's very loud exclamation. Marissa, however, had only been woken up; she hadn't had time to process what the exclamation was about.

Marissa looked at Alex, who's face was turning beet-red. When she went to feel her forehead to make sure she didn't have some form of fever, the brunette suddenly realized where her hand was.

"Oh, Crap!" Marissa removed her hand very quickly, and pushed herself off of Alex, "I'm sorr . . . I didn't mean . . . I didn't realize . . ."

Alex and Kirsten started laughing when Marissa jumped off of the bed, across the room and started stuttering excessively. _'It's rare to see her being this cute . . . in a sexy kind of way . . . bad Alex, BAD! Get your mind out of the gutter!_' Alex mentally kicked herself.

"Well, I guess I can tell your mom that you're safe. I think I'll leave out just how SAFE you are!" Kirsten walked out of the room with a smirk on her face, "Oh, and the boys are making pancakes!"

Alex turned to Marissa and cocked her head to the side, "We need to talk, but I need to feed three bodies so . . . let's go downstairs and eat first."

* * *

"Do you really think that it meant something? I mean, it could have just been a fluke accident."

"How could it? Her hand was UNDER Alex's shirt! They obviously did SOMETHING last night!!"

"I wish Mom had gotten pictures, or video or . . .OWWWWW!!!!!"

The two girls heard the conversation before they actually entered the kitchen. Ryan, Summer and Seth were all sitting around the island talking about what Kirsten had evidently told them about the morning's events.

The trio looked up guiltily when they realized that they had been overheard. Although Ryan hadn't been very happy that Alex was back, he realized that it was a good thing for her . . . and for Marissa. He and Marissa had broken up very shortly after Alex left, and they had been much better as friends. He, Summer and Seth had stayed up half the night trying to figure out how to get Marissa and Alex back together and, up until this point, they had come up empty-handed. Now that they were getting somewhere, the three of them all hoped that their mission hadn't been thwarted.

"You can stop wondering. Nothing happened. Marissa was just having a really good dream!!!" Alex grinned when Marissa went bright red and started opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. After Marissa recovered, she and Alex sat down at the empty seats and started eating.

"That is not something a father wants to hear in the morning . . . or EVER, for that fact!" Sandy said as he and his wife walked into the kitchen, "I have some bad news kids. Man of the Year and the Wicked Witch - no offense Marissa- are throwing a party here tonight, and you're all supposed to attend."

"Which means . . ." Kirsten started.

"SHOPPING!!!!!!" Summer squealed, "Alex, we HAVE to get you a dress! You are going to look so hot tonight! Right, Coop?"

Marissa had to tear her mind away from the image of Alex in a dress before she started drooling, "Uh, right!"

"Which means you boys are coming to carry bags! Hurry up, you two!! We need to get dresses, shoes, our hair needs to be done . . ." Summer was still rambling on as Marissa and Alex finished eating and half-ran up the stairs to prepare for the shopping trip. The sooner they started, the sooner it would be over.

* * *

"Alex, come on! The party starts in two hours! Pick one so we can go home and get ready!" Summer, Marissa, Seth and Ryan had been into four shops waiting for Alex to pick a dress. Everyone, including Summer, had picked out what they were wearing, and they were waiting on Alex to pick a dress.

Summer was about to yell again when Alex poked her head out of the change room door, "I'm sorry that I look like a beached whale. Next time, we are not going to look for a dress for me, I can wear pants and a nice shirt!" And then her head disappeared again.

"Damn hormones," the foursome muttered.

"I heard that!"

Seth had just come up with a smart-ass remark when Alex's voice rang out again, "Perfect!"

* * *

It had taken another half an hour for Alex to pick the perfect dress (which no one got to see) and for them all to get back to the Cohens and start to get ready.

Marissa and Alex had decided to get changed together. Well, at least Marissa was changing. Alex was running to the bathroom every five minutes.

"This is ridiculous! I can't even put on a dress without running back in there! I think they're out to get me!" Alex huffed as she stood in front of her bed once more to try to put her dress on without being . . . interrupted.

Marissa laughed at Alex as she finished putting on her makeup. Alex was always complaining about her pregnancy: she looked very fat, her feet were hurting, the twins were doing the cha-cha on her bladder, etc. but Marissa knew Alex was loving every second of it. Even before they got together, Marissa knew that under it all, Alex was a born mother. She took care of everyone, and despite the whining and bitching, Alex couldn't wait to be a mom. And Marissa couldn't help but fall back in love with that, with her.

Alex had stripped down to just her underwear and bra when her hand shot out and clutched her stomach, "Oh God!"

Marissa was already up and at Alex's side. In her mind, Marissa was freaking out, "What's wrong? Is it the babies? Should I get help? What is it?" Okay, so maybe it wasn't JUST in her mind.

Before she could say anything else, Alex grabbed Marissa's hands and placed one on each side of her stomach. The brunette stood there dumbstruck when she felt it: two little presses against each hand. Marissa had almost thought she'd imagined it until she saw the huge smile that graced Alex's lips.

"Did you feel it?!?!?" Alex asked.

"Di-did they just kick?" Marissa was blinking rapidly at the beaming woman.

"Yeah, they did!" Alex started crying a bit; this was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced.

Marissa still looked slightly on edge, "I thought something was wrong. You scared me."

Alex held both sides of the other girl's face so that she was looking into her moss green eyes, "I'm sorry. It really surprised me, being able to feel them actually kicking- it makes it seem so much more real, you know?"

Marissa looked into the crystal blue orbs and realized how happy Alex was, and how perfect this moment was.

"It's just makes the whole experience so much more special . . ." Alex was cut off by a pair of lips connecting with her own.

The pair were suddenly void of all other senses. They could not help but moan at the pleasure that surged through their bodies. Alex laid down on the bed, bringing Marissa down on top of her, as the older girl's tongue gain entrance into Marissa mouth. Their tongues were in the midst of a duel for dominance when Alex flipped them over, and straddled Marissa, their mouths never separating.

They kept kissing one another until a lack of oxygen was beginning to become a problem. Once they tore their lips apart, the two girls looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

"I want to make this work with you," Marissa whispered, " For all of us."

Alex smiled again when Marissa put her hand back on the baby bump, "I know."

"I promise I won't screw this up. There's too much at stake this time," With one look into her eyes, the blonde knew that Marissa was telling the truth.

"I know, Rissa," Alex pecked the taller girl on the lips, " Come on. Your mom will drop kick both our asses if we're not out there."

Marissa smiled. Things in her life were actually starting to get better, and Alex was the sole cause of that. She just hoped that nothing would mess it up again.

_

* * *

It's a good thing I read over this before posting it. . . there were SOOO many stupid mistakes. . . . BUT, I fixed 'em all. . . . I hope._

_By the way, Thank you guys SOOOOOO much for all of your reviews! It was REALLY sweet of you! But to all of my reviews, I have a question for you. In ch. 14, I am bringing in a couple doctors. . . Initially, when the idea popped into my head, the docs. were Addison Montgomery, Violet Turner and Dell Parker from Private Practice. But I don't know if I want this to be a crossover or not. _

_So my question to you is this: To crossover or to not crossover? Cuz if I don't cross it over, then I am going to be making up two more characters, and I can assure you that I have made up enough already. So message me with your opinion!!!! _

_Thanks again ~ Sid :D_


	9. Chapter 8

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

**Chapter 8**

"You guys won't laugh?"

"No!"

Alex had gone into the bathroom twenty minutes earlier, and after getting very worried, Marissa went to call in reinforcements. Now Marissa, Seth, Summer and Ryan were all sitting on Alex's bed, waiting for her to come out, while dressed in their usual Newport party attire.

Alex looked herself over in the mirror once more. She had thought she looked all right when she left the store, but she was concerned that it would not be appropriate in front of Newport's most elite. Alex took a very nervous breath and walked out.

Everyone looked up at the same time and gasped. Alex looked amazing. She was standing there in a beautiful black halter dress that ended just after her knees. The v-cut dropped down just to the top of her belly, showing her amazing cleavage and hugging her amazing boobs. When Alex spun around, they noticed that the dress was backless, showing an amazing view of her tattoo. Her hair was curled at the ends.

"Wow!" Marissa was having a hard time stopping herself from drooling.

"Does it look okay?" Alex was trying to gauge their reactions from their expressions. Shock and a serious amount of awe. She just didn't know if that was a good thing.

No one could answer. Alex looked stunning, and they were in such a state of shock that they could not answer her. Instead, Marissa walked up to Alex and kissed her with terrible fervor, showing the pregnant girl EXACTLY what she thought of the dress.

"Oh, well then!"

With that, the group walked out of the room, Marissa and Alex interlocking their fingers. It was time to face the world . . . or at least the most important and powerful people in Newport.

* * *

"Good evening, everyone! For those who don't know me, my name is Julie Cooper- Nichol and I have invited you all here to make a very formal business announcement." Julie nodded at everyone.

The teens went to stand next to Sandy, Kirsten and Caleb.

"Well, you kids clean up nice!" Sandy whispered to the group, "Alex, that dress is beautiful."

"Shhh!!!! We can compliment them later! I want to hear what her big secret has been!" Kirsten whispered back hastily.

They all shut up and continued listening.

"The Newport Group has been having some difficulties lately, and after realizing this, I brought in three very talented people to help fix the problem. Our clients have been noticing that our buildings have been lacking originality, creativity. Thus far, the designs have been quite simple and in all honesty, boring. Therefore, as the new CEO of the Newport Group, I have hired three very special women to . . . spruce up our designs." Julie took a breath and looked out at the crowd, " So, without further ado, I would like to introduce Penelope, Samantha and Thea Kelly! Welcome ladies!"

"You have got to be kidding me!!" Alex exclaimed while everyone started clapping as the women walked onto the platform.

Sandy was about to ask Alex about her comment, but the women started speaking.

"That you so much, Julie." Penelope nodded to Julie, "We are thrilled to have been asked to work on this project. This is an honor, a privilege, and quite frankly, an excuse to check out this amazing town."

Samantha continued, " Our sister lives here, and she has been raving about this place, and she was actually the original thought behind the idea that will change way everyone sees the Newport Group. Despite our lack of contact with her recently, I must admit that we must give her credit for us being here today," Sam's eyes landed on someone in the crowd, " And what better thanks than to introduce her to each and everyone of you."

Thea finished her sisters' thoughts, "Alex Kelly, will you join your older sisters here on this stage?"

For the second time that night, Seth, Summer, Ryan, Sandy, Kirsten, Caleb and Marissa were all stunned silent as Alex walked very slowly past a slack-jawed Julie and up to her sisters. Their hugs were short, but with the promise of something more heart-felt to come.

"Alex is a great asset to the design of the new housing developments. As you can see, Alex has a younger and fresher outlook, and provides excellent insight into the designs. She may not be an official partner in the project, but will most definitely be on the sidelines, guiding this enterprise to greatness!" Penelope smiled as everyone clapped enthusiastically at the siblings.

"I will?" Alex leaned into Sam and whispered.

"Just go with it for now," Samantha answered back.

Alex nodded as the four women walked off the stage.

"Well, now that's settled, I invite everyone to help themselves to the refreshments." Julie said hastily, before dashing off the stage.

* * *

It wasn't until 1 am when the final guests left the party. That meant that it was time for the interrogation.

"You three are related to Alex?!?" Julie was fuming. She was mostly pissed about the fact that she hadn't noticed the family resemblance, though the last names should have tipped her off.

"Yes," Thea was having a really hard time stifling her laughter. The woman was a broken record.

"That doesn't matter. You really are pregnant? I thought that it was a false positive." Penelope moved her bangs out of her face as she looked at her sister.

Despite the almost humorous tone that was in the air, the four Kelly sisters hung their heads in recollection of the events that led up to the pregnancy. Alex had told the girls at the same that she told her parents, trying to prevent herself from retelling the story. It was far too painful. Every day since then, the older Kellys had reprimanded themselves for being there for her, not protecting her. Samantha had taken it the hardest; Alex was Sam's 'baby' and the entire situation had really hurt Sam.

The two families continued to talk up the first rays of sunlight entered the Cohen household. Then, it was time to go to bed. The really important stuff could wait until they were all well rested.

_

* * *

I know that this chapter was kind of rushed it's just that every time I'd go to add something, my brain function ceased completely. So I apologize if it sucks. And for all those who are wondering, I have picked out which actresses I want to play Alex's sisters, but I will start off just giving you the first three for now. ;)_

_Penelope: played by Lena Headey_

_Samantha: played by Christina Cox_

_and. . . _

_Thea: played by Poppy Montgomery_

_For al those who don't know who they are, I will post links to pictures of them on my profile. . .. . but at an hour that ISN'T 1:40 in the morning._


	10. Chapter 9

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

Warning:_ This chapter contains exactly three swear words. . . unless you count the word 'bitch' as a swear word, then it is five. So be warned!!!!_

**

* * *

Chapter 9**

Marissa woke up the next morning to find herself alone. When the group had gone to bed, Ryan had given up the pool house for the three older Kelly sisters, Alex had given her room to Julie and Caleb, Ryan slept on the floor of Seth's room with Seth and Summer in the bed, while Alex and Marissa had slept on the couch together. It may not have been the most ideal place for the pair especially for Alex, but they wouldn't have had it any other way. They were on the road to being a couple again and they seemed to be much more ready for a relationship. This is why Marissa was a little concerned when she woke up alone, and therefore decided to go look for the blonde.

Marissa was nearing her panic mode when she couldn't find Alex in any part of the house that she looked in. Marissa was about to go wake Summer up when she heard something that made her stop short.

'_Gotta get ya out of my mind_

_Gotta get ya into my life'_

It wasn't the song that made her stop; no, Marissa had heard the song many times before. It was the fact that she heard Alex's voice singing along to it.

'_I know that you're down by the way you're watching me_

_You take my words away and I can hardly speak_

_There's just room for two in my fantasy_

_So baby lose your crew and come away with me'_

Marissa started walking towards the sound of the voice; it was like a Siren's song, so beautiful that she felt compelled to go to the source of the sound. And she found the source in the kitchen.

'_Turn down the lights and light up the party_

_I got the ride and you got the naughty_

_Leave your boys with my girls tonight_

_Come home with me, a.s.a.p._

_Turn down the lights and light up the party_

_I got the time and you got the body_

_Leave your boys with my girls tonight_

_Come home with me, a.s.a.p.'_

Alex, Penelope, Samantha and Thea were moving around the Cohens' kitchen, singing, dancing and making pancakes all at the same time. Marissa was mesmerized as Alex swayed her hips perfectly in time with the music.

"_Tonight's the night and it's only just begun_

_All the boys and the girls that wanna fuck tonight_

_Gotta turn the naughty on_

_Tonight's the night and it's only just begun_

_All the boys and the girls that wanna fuck tonight_

_Better turn the naughty on _. . . oh, hey Marissa!_"_

Alex had turned around and saw the brunette standing in the doorway, and promptly brought Marissa out of her daydream with her exclamation. Before Marissa could react to what was going on, Alex grabbed her and started dancing with the lanky girl. The pair slowly started to sway together as Alex started singing again.

"_I like what you say by the way you rock your shoes_

_And the way you wear your smile got me really digging you_

_All this bump and grind makes everyone a freak_

_Lets get out of sight baby run away with me"_

The brunette stood behind Alex as they grinded to the song. Their movements were slow and sensual, making the temperature in the kitchen jump up a few degrees.

"Alright, that's enough! I do not want to see my baby sister start having sex right in front of me!" Penelope exclaimed as the horny couple started to make out, her British accent becoming very heavy.

"Pen, relax! They're kids; let them have some fun!" Thea said sticking up for the two.

After they had a significant amount of space between the teens, Marissa suddenly asked, " Okay, this may be a weird question but, how come Penelope, you have a British accent, and Thea, you have an Australian accent?"

The Kelly girls chuckled.

" That, Marissa, is because our parents shipped me and Pen off to Australia and England respectively, when we were sixteen. Penelope came back to America three years ago, while I just finished moving back two months ago. We lived there for so long, our accents adapted to those around us." Thea had been asked the question so many times that she waited for people to ask.

"Why did they ship you off?"

Samantha answered that question as she put another batch of pancakes into the oven to stay warm, "Because they never really wanted kids. They figured that, after they had us, they could ship us off somewhere and that'd be it."

"They sent Pen to England, Samantha to Canada, Helena went to boarding school, Thea went to Australia, and I was emancipated. Dorinda got to stay with them because they actually wanted her," Alex told Marissa.

"I'm sorry," Marissa was at a loss. How could parents do that to their kids? All this time she thought that she had it bad, when there were obviously people whose parent really DID hate them.

The group stayed lost in thought for a little while, each woman thinking about their perspective on the subject that was still present in their minds.

"Al, did you ever run into the bitch that you left Newport for?" Thea's voice broke through the silence.

"Who, Jodie?" Sam piped in.

"No, you know that stupid girl who Alex dated for awhile, then the girl dumped her for her ex-boyfriend. The one that Al was pining over for months. Did you run into her yet? If you didn't, I hope you beat the shit out her when you do; she deserves it!" Thea was talking so animatedly, that she didn't notice Alex, Penelope and Sam's silent glaring in the hopes of making her stop talking, until the sentence had left her mouth, "Why the hell are you all looking at me like that? What did I say?"

Alex didn't answer because she was too busy looking at Marissa. The taller girl had paled quite a bit, and was blatantly trying to fight off tears.

"Rissa, I . . . she didn't mean that . . . " Alex's voice was wavering.

"No, Alex, she's right. I was a bitch to you. You were so mature and levelheaded, and I was stupid. I rushed into an amazing relationship, and I screwed everything up when I chickened out! Ryan and I didn't even really date after that. All we did was fight; we realized that we are much better off as friends. When I finally figured that out, it was too late to tell you," Marissa stopped to wipe away some of the tears that were streaming down her face, " I should have never have done that to you! You didn't deserve it."

Alex tried to stop her, but Marissa ran out of the kitchen, then out the front door.

_

* * *

I decided I was gonna be nice and add this chapter tonight, since I've decided to add another chapter between this one and the next one I wrote. SO I hope this will sustain you til I upload the next part. . . . _

_And no, I couldn't just leave their relationship alone. They have quite a few issues that still need to be addressed, and that can't happen if Alex and Marissa were off in relationship La-La land._


	11. Chapter 10

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

**_Disclaimer:_ Yada, yada, yada, I don't own it. . . blah, blah.**

**_So this is the chapter that I just wrote up. For the hell of it. It just came to me yesterday. . . so I slid it between the original ch. 9 and 10_**

**

* * *

Chapter 10**

_**Hot.**_

It was most definitely hot in dark, shady basement. There were no windows to speak of, the temperature was increasing rapidly outside, and there were twenty-something bodies crammed into the hole in the wall that could barely be considered a basement. Who wouldn't be hot?

_**Sweat. **_

Sweat was pouring off of Marissa's body as she went to take another hit of whatever was closest to her. She knew Volchok wouldn't mind.

_**Sweet**__._

Kevin Volchok looked over at his youngest client. She was just a stupid upper-class bitch that didn't know when to quit while she was ahead. Crap for her, good for him and his bank account. Yet he couldn't help but think that her obliviousness was almost . . . sweet.

_**Wet**__._

Normally, Marissa hated the feeling of sweat-drenched clothes on her body. But in this state, she was quite content to just lay there feeling wet.

_**Red.**_

"Red is a very pretty color." The brunette said to herself, as that aforementioned color danced across the backs of her eyelids. _'Though,'_ she thought, _'if all I am seeing is colors, then this hit must be wearing off . . . .'_

_**Please**__._

The man looked to be in his thirties, but t was usually hard to tell with junkies. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his skin was dry and pasty, and his body was wracked in tremors.

"Volchok, man. D-do you have the s-stuff?"

"I said next week, Becker. You should have made the last bout keep 'til then." Volchok said, as he led the man out.

"B-but I n-need it now!! I can't last 'til then!" he pleaded.

"Get out, and come back next week like I told you. I have other clients now." Volchok said as he threw the man out and closed the door on his face.

"DAMN IT VOLCHOK!! Please!!!" the mystery man bellowed, even though his cries were met by deaf ears.

_**Stroking**__._

Marissa lay down on her dealer's couch, while stroking her half-empty bottle of vodka. She had spent the better part of three weeks in this basement. Of course, she had originally come here for an escape, as well as a way to figure out what to do about Alex. Now, all she could do was slip further into a drug and alcohol-induced state of nothingness.

_**Touch. Taste**__._

It started out innocent enough. Volchok would sling his arm over her shoulders when they went out, or he would push a loose hair back behind her ear. It took Marissa a little too long to realize that he was addicting her to his touch just as much as he had addicted her to his drugs.

By the time he got bold enough to put his hand on her upper thigh, Marissa couldn't take it anymore. She had to taste him, in every way possible. And taste she did.

_**Beg.**_

"Kevin. I need . . ."

Volchok smiled at his favorite little buyer, "What do you need, Cooper?"

Marissa was very frustrated, "I d-don't know! I f-feel like I need the drugs . . . but what if what I really need is y-you?"

The dealer looked the teen dead in the eyes, "Then beg for me."

Suddenly Alex Kelly's face flashed into the brunette's mind, "Volchok, I need you . . . right now!"

Screw Alex.

_**Fear**__._

Marissa and Volchok were walking along the pier after taking a serious crack hit. The teenager wouldn't usually leave her dealer's house after getting as high as she was, but she just suddenly felt the urge to get away from the dark, smoke-infested room.

As they walked, Marissa heard the most beautiful, yet terrifying sound she could ever hear, causing her to stop dead in the middle of the pier.

_"Summer! Ryan!!! Can you please get Seth's drunk ass out of here before I am forced to kill him?"_

It was Alex, her blonde hair and purple streak very visible in the streetlight.

"That your girlfriend?" Volchok asked, the annoyance evident in his voice.

Marissa nodded, "Yeah."

"You afraid to talk to her?" Volchok's voice suddenly took on a hint of laughter.

"Definetly."

_**Harder**__. __**Faster**__._

_**Bastard**__._

"Give them to me."

Kevin waved the little packet of coke high above Marissa's head.

"Come and get it," He laughed as she took another jump at it, and missed completely.

"Can't you just give it to me?" the brunette pleaded.

"Nope," the man shook his head, "I am not charging you for this one, so you're gonna have to work for it."

Marissa crossed her arms and pouted, "Bastard."

Volchok's hand came down and handed her the powder bag, " I am glad you think so highly of me."

_**You whore**__._

Marissa and Kevin sat in bed after another session of passionate screwing.

"You are my whore, you know that?"

"How do you figure?"

"Well," Kevin smirked, "You are always coming to me for stuff, and I seem to always be giving it to you."

Marissa leaned over and straddled her dealer, "Well how 'bout you give it to me again?"

_**More**__._

"Volchok, I need more."

_**You animal**__._

Kevin Volchok was surprised to feel as much pain as he did when he woke up one morning. When he went to look in the mirror, he was surprised at what he saw.

_**No contact**__._

_**Fire**__. __**Burn**__._

"Summer, wait! Come back!" Marissa yelled as she tried to catch up to her best friend's retreating form.

There was a pause. A long, drawn out pause during which time Summer refused to turn around and face Marissa. The same girl who had come to school high as a kite, and had snorted something in the bathroom when Summer walked in. The situation became much worse due to the fact that Marissa had promised her friend twice that she had quit her drug habit.

"Summer, please talk to me. That was my last hit, I promise," Marissa begged from behind her friend.

When Summer turned around to face the taller girl, there was a raging fire burning in her eyes, "Go Burn in Hell, Marissa."

_**It's over**__._

"Kevin, I don't think I can do this anymore," Marissa told the older man as she slowly gathered up her stuff, "It's wrong. . . . I have a girlfriend."

"Well, obviously your _girlfriend_ doesn't mean very much since every night for the past three weeks you've been on your back with your legs spread only for me." Volchok said. She couldn't leave him, not now. She was currently his best client.

Marissa turned to face him as she started to open his front door, "I'm sorry, V. I just can't do it anymore. It's over."

"No!" Volchok exclaimed, as she walked away, "You'll be back. With an addiction like yours, _It will NEVER be over!!!"_

_And he was right._

_

* * *

Sooo. . I have a question for you all. I want you to guess what song the bold stuff is from WITHOUT googling it. BTW, Mo-Lou you are NOT allowed to guess since you were singing this last weekend._

_Whoever gets it gets a hug and a cookie!!! ;)_

_P.S.- Don't worry, the story will be back to normal next chapter. _


	12. Chapter 11

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

**Chapter 11**

A month had passed since Marissa had run out of the Cohen residence and stopped talking to Alex. During this time, Marissa had fallen back into her old ways, drinking and getting high all day everyday. Whenever she wasn't completely drunk out of her mind, she was trying to lose herself in the amazing euphoria caused by any high she could get her hands on. Marissa had been given countless warnings in school; she had to clean up her act or she would be suspended or possibly expelled, but she had kept on her terrifying downward spiral. Despite everyone's attempts to help, Marissa would turn her back on them and go at it twice as hard.

Alex, during this time, was throwing herself into work and the preparation for the twins. She had gotten her job back at the Bait Shop and was working fulltime as the manager. Because of how badly the Bait Shop had done after Alex left, the owner willingly started paying her twice what she made before. To top it all off, Julie Cooper-Nichol, the woman who supposedly lived and breathed hatred for Alex was actually paying her to help her sisters with the designs of the new buildings. Even though she was doing very well, Alex was more somber and irritable than even her sisters had ever seen her. She just knew how to hide it.

These were the reasons that Summer, Seth, Ryan, Sandy, Kirsten, Penelope, Samantha, and Thea had met at the Country Club as an intervention; they wanted to figure out how to get Alex and Marissa back together . . . or at least, to get them out of their (as Seth called them) "Danger Zones".

"Has anyone heard from Julie? She was supposed to bring Marissa here before Alex gets here," Penelope was torn; she wanted her sister to be happy again -because lets face it, a melancholic Alex was not fun to be around-, but if one girl could cause this reaction because of a stupid misunderstanding, then she wasn't sure that she wanted Alex around that.

Before anyone could even flinch, they heard their answer, "Mom, wha-at are WE doing here? It th-thought we were going out to the art gal . . . galer . . . studio place! Oh, hiya everyone!" when she saw the group, Marissa stumbled over to the table slurring everything that she was saying, with Julie barely holding her up.

When everyone gave Julie a pointed look, Julie replied, "I wish I knew how this happened. I got home and she was already like this," with Sandy's help, Julie successfully sat her daughter in a chair next to Summer.

Marissa had been sitting for half a minute when she got up and half-ran half-stumbled in the direction of the washroom, with Summer following close behind her. After the two girls ran off, Kirsten gave Julie a sympathetic look. Alcohol was not something that is easy to deal with. But they could not think about that right then and there; they had to figure out how to stop the problem before they could fix the damage.

"So . . . where's Alex?" Seth asked the crowd.

As if on cue, the beautiful blonde started walking towards them with as much grace as she could muster. In the past month, Alex had gained twelve pounds and was now having more difficulties walking around. Instead of walking, she was forced to waddle; much to her distain and Seth's utter amusement.

"Hey everyone! I didn't realize there was a party going on, or I would have brought refreshments!" Alex joked as she waddled up to the table and sat down in the newly vacated seat, "I hate going to Lamaze! What with the breathing, the fake pushing and all of the damn perfect and very successful couples looking down their noses at me because I am seventeen, pregnant and single. It sucks so much!"

Seth looked at her and said, "Aww, I didn't even get a chance to say 'What's up, Duck?'"

Alex could only glare at him before Kirsten smacked Seth upside the head, causing everyone to laugh, " You try carrying twenty-five pounds of weight on your stomach, and lets see how easily you walk!"

"Twenty-seven, now with three months left," Alex said.

"Jeez and your gonna get BIGGER?!?!?!!?" Seth asked, his jaw coming close to hitting the floor.

"SETH!" Everyone yelled.

"What? It's a valid question!"

"Not when you ask like that, man. The girl's lethal when she's pregnant! Did you forget last week's pillow attack?" Ryan replied, rubbing the back of his head at the thought.

"Hey, you had it coming! And I told you my aim would improve!" Alex stated.

"And you have no idea how grateful I am that you weren't holding a beer can."

The pair chuckled at their inside joke. They had definitely moved on from what happened almost a year earlier.

"Hey, Al . . ." Sandy started to ask the blonde a question, when he was cut off.

"SUMMER!!!!! I don' wanna go sit down! Iwannagohangoutwith . . . OOPS!" Marissa, who had just retuned from the bathroom, fell down onto Alex's lap, "ALEX! What are YOU doin here?"

Alex went from being slightly happy, to confused, to shocked, to very disappointed and pissed off within two seconds. When Marissa grabbed onto Alex, the blonde pushed the younger girl's hands off of her shirt. The expecting teen then stood up in anger, causing Marissa to fall off of her lap, and land on the floor.

"Marissa, you're drunk?!?"

The drunk girl looked up at her, "No . . . well a little . . . bu' not too much! I'm high too! But Shhh! Don' tell!"

Alex was livid. Marissa had never acted like this when they were together. Sure, they had thrown down, but she had never ended up like this. Worse still, Alex was coming to realize exactly _why_ Marissa was acting like this.

"How long has she been doing this? Getting drunk off of her ass. When did she start?" Alex was trying not to yell . . . or cry, "Summer, tell me how long!"

"A month."

A part of Alex broke when she heard the answer. She had caused this. The girl she was in love with was drinking herself stupid, and it was because Alex hadn't had the balls to run after her; to kick her door down; to call her non-stop. She had given Marissa space, and Marissa gotten completely wasted over and over again. This was her fault, and therefore her responsibility to fix.

"Get her to my car," Alex told the guys.

Nobody protested. If anyone could get Marissa to stop hurting herself, then it would be Alex. As Ryan carried Marissa out to the car under Seth's amazing supervision, Alex prayed that her love would be all right.

* * * * *

After driving Marissa back to the Cohens and half-carrying her up to her room, Alex sat on the bed stroking the brunette's hair. It had been six hours since they had gotten home, and after one long and very violent detox, Marissa had finally fallen asleep with Alex watching over her.

Another tear ran down Alex's face, "I am so sorry, baby."

_

* * *

I am going to update another few chapters tomorrow. My battery is about to die on my computer. . . :(_

_And to answer a question that I was asked, the whole Trey situation did happen and will be explained in later chapters. You just have to be patient. ;)_


	13. Chapter 12

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

**Chapter 12**

Marissa woke up to pain. Indescribably excruciating pain hammering into her forehead and the backs of her eyes. She desperately wanted to find out what was going on, but everything was hurting her far too much. The agony was brutal; making the events that occurred after her intoxication came rushing back into the forefront of Marissa's brain . . . which meant more pain.

"The aspirin is right next to your hand."

Marissa jumped a little at the voice that rang out into her ear. Despite how soft the sound was, Marissa knew the voice very well. If it had been anyone else, Marissa would not have opened her eyes at that point, but there was something about Alex's voice that compelled her to face the burning lights. When her barely-open eyes adjusted, she noticed that Alex was sitting next to her, fully dressed, with a pair of clothes resting on her lap. Alex had a nothing but a serious look on her face.

"I know I am being mean, but get up, get in the shower and get dressed," Alex said, pulling Marissa into a sitting position, "We really need to talk, and that can't happen unless we escape this household of chaos!"

By that point, Alex had half dragged the brunette out of her room, and into the bathroom. She had then proceeded to help the younger girl undress and turned on the faucet before continuing.

"You and I are taking a road trip to this place I go to sometimes. I actually packed us lunch and we'll be all by ourselves. Of course, we can't leave until you're dressed, so hurry up!!!" Alex shoved Marissa into the shower, closed the curtain and stood waiting outside the bathroom door for Marissa to finish getting ready.

* * * * *

Two and a half hours and three cups of coffee later, the pair were walking along a beautiful, white-sanded beach as small waves rolled to the shore. Alex was walking ankle-deep in the warm water, enjoying the relaxed and at-ease feeling that was taking over her and even the twins. Marissa was walking more on the shore. She was carrying the basket of food and their shoes, as she contemplated how to start off the dreaded 'talk' that they were supposed to have. Yet, as always, Alex beat her to the punch.

"Why did you do it?"

Marissa stared out at the pregnant teen with confusion etched onto her face, "Do what?"

"Get completely wasted and stuff this past month. Why did you do it?" Alex had stopped walking, and was just looking out onto the water, her voice taking a sad tone as it reached Marissa's ears.

_'Well here comes the hard part, being honest with her. At least, about last year.' _Marissa took a deep breath and just started talking, " I don't know. I guess before I met you, all I knew how to do was get shit-faced whenever I had a problem. It was easy, and it was fun at the time. I suppose it's true what they say; you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"That is not an answer! You could have come talk to ME if you were upset, or pissed off or even depressed. It may be cliché but, you really didn't have go looking for answers at the bottom of a bottle of vodka," Alex didn't sound mad per se, just a little frustrated.

Marissa sighed. Alex was right, "I know that they don't. I have always had a hard time talking to people about really personal things. Especially you. You are so strong and together, all of the time. You've had a seriously fucked up life, and you can still make the most of it. Any problems I have are so trivial by comparison, and yet I still feel like I can't handle them; so instead of trying, I drink them away.

I wanted to come talk to you, but every time I started to, I thought of how much I have screwed you over; I've broken your heart over and over by trying to work things out, and instead of trying to fix what I had broken, I figured I would save you the heartache that normally comes when we talk, and drink until I could figure out what else I could do."

"Which meant you drank until you were drunk." The two girls had made their way up to higher ground and had set up a blanket for them to sit on.

"Yeah. And normally when I'm drunk, I can't even find my own ass with both hands and a map, so trying to find answers is useless," Marissa paused as Alex chuckled a little at her joke, "But in all honesty, I think I drank because I was terrified of hurting you again. The last time we really talked, you left a bonfire with your heart in pieces, and your friends didn't even have Ryan's blood on their hands to make up for it."

When she had finished speaking, Alex took Marissa's face into her hands, "Rissa, I'm a big girl; it takes a lot to break me. And yes, what happened at the bonfire did break my heart, but I know that wasn't your intention. You were just trying to save me even more heartache in the end."

"But that's just it!!" Marissa exclaimed, causing Alex to jump back in surprise, "I broke your heart because I was too scared to listen to mine! Alex, I am not good with new and unknown things. If things start to move out of the realm of 'normal' I shy away, force myself back to what is normal. Dating a girl… dating you, not normal. Dating Ryan, very normal. It doesn't even matter if I become ridiculously miserable! There's some comfort in the norm, some people can't help but hold on to what they are comfortable with. They . . . I can't do anything that I'm not used to; it scares me."

"You know the first time you dated Ryan, you went out of the norm. He's not a water-polo player; he's the kid who came from the wrong side of the tracks. He was out of your comfort zone until he was in your comfort zone. The first time you had a drink, same deal. It was out of your norm, until it wasn't. So . . . you just got passed it. You never did something that you didn't want to do; so obviously in some way or another, you wanted to go back to Ryan," Alex wiped away a tray tear that had started down her cheek.

"Al, I'm sorry. I really am. I was stupid and immature, and I didn't want what was best for me, I've always wanted what was fun. You were both, and I split because I couldn't handle both," Marissa sighed again, "I'm an ass."

"It's all right. As long as we have started to get passed it, we'll be fine. And I'm sorry too. For not pushing harder, for not fighting as hard as I could for you. I didn't want you to hate me." Alex said as she drew circles in the sand with her fingers.

Marissa took one of Alex's hands in her own, "I could never hate you. I just hope that you could find it in yourself to stop hating me."

Alex smiled for the first time that day, "No matter what, I could never hate you either."

_'I just hope that I can hold you to that if you ever find out about Volchok,'_ Marissa thought.

The two girls leaned in and kissed each other, trying to convey all of their emotion in one fiery moment. It was nothing like any of their other kisses; this one held the sadness of the past, the understanding of the present and the hope of the future. This kiss marked a new beginning, one that they were not going to screw up.

When they pulled away, Alex looked out at the sparkling blue water.

"Tide just turned."

* * * * *

"Paige."

"No way in hell. Stevie."

"Nope. Little Marissa!!"

"Nice try. How about Dylan?"

"Not for a girl . . . Brittany!"

"MY kid?!?!? Not happening. Uh, Cameron?"

"No. Why are all of the names that you suggest guys names?" Marissa asked Alex.

"They are unisex names. That way, if at least one of them is a girl, she can be as girly as she wants, and still retain some form of edginess with a unisex name," Alex stated.

"Wow."

"Hey! Don't knock my reasoning! I'm doing good to be remembering my name right now," Alex shifted her weight to find a more comfortable seating position on her bed, "And speaking of which, when did you learn . . . how to mass- massage this well?"

Marissa chucked and added a little more pressure to Alex's lower back, "It's just something I picked up. Shall we go back to boys now?"

"Hmm?" Alex was so relaxed that it took her an extra couple seconds to realize that Marissa was talking to her.

"Do you want to brainstorm boys names again?" Marissa repeated.

"Yes . . . oh my God, Marissa!" Alex was losing her self-control very quickly. She could not remember the brunette being this good with her hands when they were together the year before.

"Shut up and think! It was your idea for us to brainstorm AND for me to give you a massage, but all you can do is sit there and moan!" Marissa purposely hit a pressure spot on Alex's back, causing the blonde to moan again, "So, names! Devon?"

Alex tilted her head back to rest it on Marissa's shoulder, causing Marissa to rap her arm around Alex's stomach, "I kinda like that name for a girl . . ."

"Marissa's right, you do have a unisex name obsession! And personally, I like Cody for both a girl and a boy."

The two girls looked up at the intruder. Seth was leaning against the doorway, with Ryan standing behind him. The two guys had tried not to eavesdrop on their conversation but, lets face it, the girls were much more interesting than their homework.

"We heard moaning, and decided to investigate. Obviously we just missed the hot lesbian acti . . . OOF!" A well-aimed pillow hitting him right between the eyes cut off the rest of Seth's comment.

"You deserved that." Ryan and Summer, who had just walked into the room, said in unison.

"And the cavalry has arrived! You see why we went out to talk? They have no sense of the word privacy!" Alex huffed at Marissa, as the rest of the gang got comfortable in Alex's room.

"What about privacy?" Kirsten asked as she and Sandy also joined the party.

"Forget it."

"Okay, so how was the infamous talk?" Sandy asked.

At those words, everyone was alert and listening closely to hear what exactly happened when the pair were out. The girls had snuck out before anyone had been awake; leaving only a note that said that stated what was going on that day. Since then, Sandy, Kirsten and the kids had been sitting around trying to dream up what could have been going on. They were so caught up in their speculations (and of course, their homework) that they hadn't even noticed that the girls were home until Seth had mentioned moaning and took off towards Alex's room.

Alex gave Marissa a not-so-innocent grin, "We talked, we got hot and heavy, we talked some more, then we met up with two other lesbians, and we had some serious fun after that!"

Everyone's mouth dropped open. When they all turned to Marissa for confirmation of the statement . . . or better yet, disproof. Marissa unfortunately, was unable to stop blushing at the thought of what Alex said, that everyone else took that as a sign that the older girl was telling the truth.

"And the images that just popped into my head . . ." Seth started, "They're even better than the day that I went to get my job back from Alex, and found Marissa walking out of Al's room . . . in just a robe. Oh, that was a wonderful day!"

"Shut up Seth!" Alex threw another pillow at him, "You can all close your mouths now, I was joking! Don't worry, we just talked. And as much as I'd love to fill you in on every raw detail of our conversation, I have two very persistent people protesting the fact that I am not in bed yet. So can we fill you in tomorrow?"

There were consecutive sounds of agreement from everyone but Sandy. The lawyer had gone unnaturally quiet after Alex had made her joke, and he was still turning a little white. It took everyone's help to get him up out of his chair and out of the room.

"Nice job Al, I think you broke him." Ryan joked.

"I hope not! I was going to ask him to take me to the doctor's so I could get another pap smear . . ." Alex started joking again.

Everyone turned to the door as they hear the pitiful sound of moaning coming from the direction where the older Cohens had just disappeared.

"Alex!" Kirsten voice warned, "No more jokes! You might just end up giving him a heart attack!"

"Sorry, Sandy!" Alex yelled after them.

"Seriously, Alex? You shouldn't make such dirty jokes around dad," Seth stated as he and Ryan gave her a hug.

"What? It just came out!" Alex stated, causing the three of them to laugh.

"You know Coop, Cohen is being nice enough to give up his room for the night and his bed is bigger than it looks, if you feel like detaching yourself from Alex's hip for once." Summer whispered to Marissa as they were hugging goodnight.

"I think I'm good Sum," Marissa started before she noticed her best friend's dejected look, "But we will definitely talk, though. Night you guys!"

"Night Marissa, night Alex!" Seth, Ryan and Summer replied as they walked out of the room.

When the trio had left, Alex turned to Marissa, "So, where were we?"

It was Marissa's turn to grin, "I think you said something about getting Hot and Heavy!"

_

* * *

Soooo.. . . . they are back!!! And, no, I did not forget that Marissa screwed up and slept with Volchok. I mentioned it for a reason. So I really hope that no one is TOO mad at me about that one._

_Also, I just realized that I asked one person's opinion on something, and not EVERYONE'S! SOO. . . Opinion Time!!!!!_

_Does anyone have any name suggestions for the babies? ~ Sid_


	14. Chapter 13

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

**Chapter 13**

"She's going to kill us."

"She will not."

"She always does. Surprises plus Alex equals death for us. No matter how good the cause, Alex hates surprises. And after this party, she's going to kill us! Just like she did after our impromptu announcement at the benefit."

Thea and Kirsten had been arguing for just about all of the five hours that it had taken to decorate for Alex's surprise baby shower. After they had gotten back together, Marissa had come to everyone with the idea for a surprise baby shower for Alex. Even though Kirsten kept getting the feeling that Marissa was trying to make up for something, the woman still agreed to help in any way possible. Since the suggestion was made, everyone had been working hard to keep this party a secret from Alex, which was very hard considering the girl could just about read everyone's minds.

"Well maybe the 'I'm-gonna-be-a-mommy' Alex will see that we love her and care about her and want to do something very special for her!" Summer suggested.

"Fat chance. With normal, everyday pregnancies, they are like PMS on steroids. With Alex on an everyday basis, pregnancy PMS stands for Potential Murder Suspect. For Alex after she's been surprised, let's just say, you'd have better luck being a pig in a slaughterhouse." Samantha replied.

"Nice description." Sandy said as he and the boys set up another party game.

Sam shrugged, "I try."

"You should really have more faith in your sister. She has become quite mature since she moved back here," Julie announced as she finished tying another string on another balloon, "Do we honestly need any more balloons? I know I usually say, the more the merrier, but I think that statement only applied to the first hundred or so."

"I guess that's enough," Kirsten said, while stepping back to look everything over, "And Julie's right, your sister has proven how grown up she really is. You should be very proud!"

"Did Kirsten say Julie was right about something? That's not something I ever thought I'd hear my wife say!" Sandy whispered to Seth, Ryan and Summer jokingly.

"We are very proud. I'm sure Helena and Dorinda will be just as proud when they see her today!" Penelope replied, ignoring what Sandy had said.

"Speaking of which, when are they supposed to be here?" Ryan asked.

"They're supposed to be here right now!" a new voice answered, shocking everyone out of their decorating stupor.

Everyone turned to the door to see two beautiful women standing in the doorway. The one who had spoken was a nice-looking brunette who had a new-aged, slightly unguarded look to her clothing and a large smile on her face. This was practically an exact opposite to the woman standing next to her. The blonde was much more serious. She had on the most expensive Prada suite with her hair straightened perfectly.

Penelope, Samantha and Thea rushed over to hug their sisters.

"Everyone, this is Helena," Sam pointed to the brunette, "and Dorinda." The blonde.

Everyone started introducing themselves to the two newcomers as they continued to put the finishing touches on their baby shower masterpiece as another guest showed up.

"Hey you guys," Helena asked, "Where _is_ Alex?"

* * * * *

"Marissa, can we please go home? I am so tired!" Alex complained for the eighth time, shifting the bags she was carrying from one hand to the other.

"No way. We still need to find buy baby formula, diapers, blankets, socks . . ."

"Rissa!" Alex got Marissa to stop talking as she sat down on a bench, "We don't need to get that stuff NOW. I still have two months before the babies come. Can't we just go home?"

Alex was very tired. Marissa had gotten her up at the ass-crack of dawn and dragged her out of the house to go shopping for baby stuff. It was now almost four o'clock in the afternoon and all that the pregnant blonde wanted to do was lie down. It didn't help that Alex had been fighting of a serious bout of lightheadedness since they had started shopping. Her in her bed was sounding more and more appealing by the second.

"No!" Marissa said a little too quickly as she sat down next to Alex.

"And why not?" Alex looked at her suspiciously, "Is there something going on that you're not telling me about?"

Marissa sighed, "Okay here's the thing. Kirsten asked me to get you out of the house today because she's getting some of the rooms repainted. She didn't want you to inhale all of the paint fumes and stuff."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" Alex asked

_'That's a good question.'_ Marissa thought, "Uh . . . because we had to go shopping anyway, so I decided to just abuse this reason to stay out of the house."

Alex sighed, "When are we allowed back in the house?" This was putting a serious damper on her sleeping plans.

"Four o'clock."

"Then lets go home!!" At the mention of that time, Alex became very excited. It was five minutes to four. Plus the pair had almost reached the car.

"What, do you not like spending time with me, Kelly?" Marissa joked as she quickly sent a text to Summer, telling her that they were coming home.

"Nah, I just thought you might want some time away from a beached whale with sore feet." Alex laughed as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"I don't think whales have feet," Marissa counted, "As for the soreness, I believe I could help with those when we get home."

* * * * *

"They're here!" Summer shrieked in the quietest way possible.

Everyone scattered, trying to hide themselves right before the actual surprise. The Cohens, Summer and Julie were all hiding close to the door, waiting to see Alex's face when she walked in. the Kellys hid further away. The further back they were, the less likely they'll be to get killed when Alex walked in.

Everyone heard the door open and the girls walking in. It took almost all of their will power not to burst out laughing.

"Marissa, just because I sometimes overheat because it takes much more exertion to move 32 extra pounds, doesn't mean I am getting hot fl . . ."

"SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Alex was showered in silly string as she stood still with a look of absolute shock written across her face. Everyone she loved was standing in the Cohens living room, which was looking a bit like it had gone through a rainbow or two. There were balloons _everywhere_, presents lined up against the wall and many tables that were packed with food.

"You all did this for me?" Alex's eyes started to fill up with tears.

"They all wanted to do something special for you, honey." Helena said.

"Helena? Dorinda?" Alex went up and hugged her two other sisters, "I can't believe you're here!"

"Where else would we be? After Marissa called, we had our flights booked almost immediately!" Dorinda broke out the first smile that anyone had seen on her face in years, "Plus, we aren't the only walking surprises here."

"What do you mean?"

"Hey Al."

Alex looked past her sisters to the sound of the voice. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she saw who exactly was standing there.

"Jodie?!?!?"

It only took Alex a second to come out of her stupor and envelope her friend in a tight hug. Though they weren't living near each other anymore, the bad ass and the small Latina were still very close.

"Congrats, chica. I'm glad you're happy. Even if that means we can't get completely wasted and do stupid stuff together anymore." The short girl smiled at her friend.

"I really didn't need to hear that." Sandy muttered.

Alex laughed and went to hug everyone else . . . even Julie. Marissa, however got a kiss; a very passionate kiss.

After they finished making out, Seth went up and put 20 clothespins on each girl.

"What are these for?" Alex asked.

"It's for one of the games!" Summer replied excitedly.

"What games?" Alex asked very hesitantly.

"The baby shower games, of course!" Summer looked at her pregnant friend as if she was crazy, " These are for that game where you can't use the word 'b-a-b-y' because if you do, the first person to tell you that you did takes one of your clothespins. Whoever has the most by the end of the party wins a prize. We also have pregnant twister, where we all stuff our shirts and try to play twister while you judge, decoratable onesies and cameras on all of the tables!"

The blonde let out a whistle, "You outdid yourselves but I thought that men weren't allowed at a baby shower."

"We thought you would prefer a co-ed party," Kirsten answered.

"Well then, let's get this party started!"

* * * * *

The party was going perfectly. Marissa was overjoyed because Alex was thrilled (shockingly enough), everyone was having fun and for the first time in Newport history, a party had gone without incident. All that was left was for Alex to get out of the bathroom and finish opening her presents.

_'Hmm . . . she's been gone a long time, maybe I should go check on her.'_ Marissa thought.

The tall lanky girl excused herself from the fashion conversation that was going on between her mother and Dorinda, and started towards the bathroom. As she walked, Marissa thought about how great her life gotten since Alex had come back into her life. In many ways, Alex had saved her from herself, and Marissa couldn't wait for Alex to open the gift Marissa got her.

Marissa had reached the bathroom and after knocking six times and not getting a response, Marissa decided to just walk in.

"Alex?" The brunette said as she walked into the room, "Are you in he . . . OH MY GOD, ALEX!"

There in the middle of the room, Alex was laying on the floor, unconscious. Marissa rushed over to Alex and shook her, trying to wake her up.

"Marissa, we heard yelling. What's going on?" Kirsten said as she walked towards the bathroom.

"Kirsten, call 911. Alex is unconscious!"

_

* * *

CLIFFY!!!!!!!!!!! *runs and hides from angry readers*_

_I couldn't help it!!! It's Newport; if they don't find drama, drama finds them. Plus I don't want to spoil everyone by adding THREE chapters tonight. . . . . but don't worry, I have already written the next chapter, so you won't have to wait very long for it; just 24 hours. And, incase you haven't noticed, Dorinda and Helena have arrived!!! And just so you know, Dorinda is played by Jennifer O'Dell and Helena is played by Amber Benson. There are pictures of them, and all of the other Kelly sisters on my profile._


	15. Chapter 14

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

**Chapter 14**

4 hours and 36 minutes. It had been four hours and thirty-six minutes since Alex had been admitted into the hospital. No one had heard a single word about her since they had arrived. Samantha and Marissa had had six panic attacks between the two of them, Kirsten had broken down into tears over twelve times, while everyone else sat and waited. That was what was getting to everyone; the waiting.

Seth was about to say something, anything, when Bridget walked out to the group. The entire group was terrified. They didn't know what they would do if anything bad had happened to Alex. When Bridget arrived in front of everyone, Samantha stood up and looked her friend in the eye.

"Bree, what the hell is going on? We've been here for hours and we haven't heard anything!" Samantha was somewhere between terrified for her baby sister and pissed off.

"Sam, I'm sorry that I didn't come out sooner. I've been in there with Alex trying to make sure that everything is better with her and the babies." Bridget replied.

"So what happened?" Sandy asked.

"Alex has very high blood pressure, right now. It was so high that if it had gotten any higher, she would have been at risk for preeclampsia. Now, normally if a woman had blood pressure this high, we would tell her to take it easy for the rest of her pregnancy. But because Alex is young and is having twins, I need to enforce bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. Alex cannot afford to have another spike in her B.P. like that. You should all know that preeclampsia cannot be taken lightly. We can't afford another close call like that. Everyone needs to try not to surprise, or upset her from now on." Bridget told the group.

"When can she come home?" Kirsten asked quietly.

"We need to run a few more tests, then she can go home," Bridget told the saddened woman, "However, I have called in another OB in LA as a consult. She is very good at her job, and she said that she would make a house call within the next couple of days. Depending on what she says afterwards, she and I might have to continue to visit Alex."

The doctor looked around the waiting area to a plethora of guilty faces. Bridget knew that they were all beating themselves up; blaming Alex's emergency hospital visit on what they would see as a lack of attention paid to Alex.

"All right, stop looking so guilty all of you. None of you could have seen this coming. We all know that two things that Alex hates more than anything are looking weak and unintentionally being the reason that someone has to take time out of their own lives to look after her. If she had thought that she was going to be an inconvenience by complaining about dizziness, shortness of breath or anything else, she would have ignored it until, lo and behold, something more severe happens, and even then she couldn't have known that this was going to happen." Bridget looked each person dead in the eyes before continuing, "This isn't anyone's fault, so none of you should feel guilty. These things do happen."

"It doesn't make us feel any less guilty. We still should have noticed something," Marissa looked completely disheartened, " _I_ should have noticed. She's my girlfriend and I didn't notice!"

Marissa was doing her very best not to break down once again. Last time she had done so, the brunette had gone and hidden in the bathroom so that no one else would see her. She wasn't embarrassed to cry over Alex in any way, but if everyone thought that she had given up, then how could they not give up?

"Can we see her?" Summer asked as they all started to walk down the hallway.

"Sure, but not for too long. Alex needs to rest," The doctor felt bad. They all cared so much about Alex, and even if they had to each monitor her 24/7 for the next 2 months to keep her safe, they would.

'_Actually, they might just do that.'_ Bridget thought as she led them to Alex's hospital room.

When the group reached the room, they all paused at the door. Everyone wanted to know how Alex was doing, but no one wanted to face the thought of seeing Alex in the hospital. But not seeing her was a much scarier thought, so the group entered.

Alex was lying down on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the babies' heartbeat monitor that was next to her bed with red-rimmed eyes. It pained everyone to see her so desolate.

"Alex . . ." Bridget said with a careful edge to her voice.

"I know, bed rest. I want to keep them safe and if that means staying in bed for the next two months, then so be it," Alex finally looked up at everyone with tears in her eyes, "They have to be okay."

"They will be," Marissa replied, going over to her girlfriend and kissing her forehead, "We won't let anything happen to them."

Seth instantly chimed in, "Yeah, Al. We'll do anything that you need us to do."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Though Seth may not have realized it, his parents and the rest of the group decided to give the pair were trying to give the pair their privacy. They knew that no matter how much she loved everyone, everyone crowding the room was wearing the blonde girl out.

Alex looked at Seth and Ryan as a smile started to form on her face, "I was hoping one of you would say that, because I need someone to look after the Bait Shop for me."

Seth didn't hesitate, "Ryan will do it!"

"Excellent! Then that means that Seth, you'll go shopping with Marissa and Summer to get baby stuff!" Alex replied before dissolving into a fit of laughter at Seth's dumbfounded expression.

"All right Cohen, I think it's time that you leave before you talk yourself into something else," Summer said as she ushered her boyfriend and Ryan out of the room, waving good-bye to everyone as they went.

"Yes, and ALL of your sisters and I are going to leave as well. We were planning on looking over some designs tonight, and I want to get that done as soon as possible," Julie announced to Alex as she started for the door.

"Bye my babygirl! We love you!" Penelope said, purposely adapting a high-pitched accent to make her sister laugh.

And laugh, she did.

"I am not your baby!!!" Alex protested.

This time all five girls chimed in, "Yes you are!"

Then Penelope, Samantha, Dorinda, Helena and Thea each kissed Alex on the forehead, and left the hospital room, leaving Sandy, Kirsten, Jodie, Marissa and Alex.

"All right, my sexy chica! I guess I can take a hint," Jodie said to her best friend, "I'll swing by the Cohens sometime soon, since we most definitely did not get a chance to talk!"

Alex nodded her head, "Yeah, and maybe you could even bring that new girlfriend of yours! I've been jut _dying_ to meet her."

"Al, you're in the hospital," Jodie said, "You are NOT allowed to joke about that!"

The blonde girl just rolled her eyes as her best friend left. Though you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at them, Jodie and Alex cared a lot about each other, and Jodie was very close to falling apart when Alex was brought into the hospital.

"Well ladies, I guess we'll see you later," Sandy said while trying to be nonchalant, "Marissa, I'm going to assume that you're staying with her through the night."

"I am, unless you want to. I could come back tomorrow," Marissa replied.

"No, you stay, we'll bring you some clean clothes tomorrow," Sandy and Kirsten smiled at the younger couple before leaving the room.

* * * * *

Not long after everyone left, Marissa convinced Alex to rest for a little while. It was not like the girl wasn't admitting that she was exhausted, she was; it was just that Alex didn't want anything to happen to her children while she slept. Yet three hours ago, Marissa had coaxed her into the dreamland, leaving the brunette alone with her thoughts.

_'You're really screwing your relationship up with her,'_ Marissa's brain scolded her, _'All she's ever done was love you, take care of you, and save you from yourself. You need to go figure out what you're gonna do.'_

The young brunette stood up. She was very hesitant to leave Alex, but the more devilish side of her brain reminded her that Alex was exhausted; there was no way she'd be waking up anytime soon.

Marissa leaned over and lightly kissed Alex's head before she pulled her cell phone out, "Volchok, I need . . . something."

That was all she said within the room, but that was all that the now-awake blonde needed to hear.

_

* * *

Oops. Looks like this one ended in a cliffy too. I am very sorry about that. _

_The next chapter will be introducing the new doctors soo . . . . . this is your last chance to tell me you opinion of whether or not I should crossover._


	16. Chapter 15

_**It's Crazy How Things Work Out For the Better.**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the show. . . . yada yada yada. . . . ._

_A/N: I am terribly sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. I have a grade 12 play, and . . . well, see the venting I did in my other story._

**

* * *

Chapter 15**

Addison Forbes-Montgomery walked very quickly into Oceanside Wellness, with enough determination to cause even Charlotte King to jump out of her way. The redheaded woman barreled down the hallway, grabbing a terrified Dell as she headed into the conference room. Addison had already called ahead, telling Naomi Bennett, her best friend, to grab everyone and to meet her in the meeting room.

When the flustered surgeon and her still-terrified sidekick entered the conference room, Violet Turner, Cooper Freedman, Naomi and Sam Bennett and Pete Wilder eyed their newest family member with slight curiosity.

"You're all probably wondering why I asked you in here," Addison paused waiting for conformation, "I got a call two nights ago from an old colleague of mine in Newport. She told me that she wanted me to come down for a consult."

"Alright, so what was so big about that that you had to call us all in?" Sam asked.

"That's the thing. Bridget was telling me a little about her patient. She's a seventeen year old girl who was raped and is now pregnant, and has very high blood pressure," Addison sighed, "Bridget is starting to feel like her friend never really got past the attack, so she . . . and I were wondering if you would come down with me, Vi."

"Me?" Violet looked almost shocked.

"Yeah, I mean, if you want to. And if you can shift your patients around a bit, that is."

Violet inhaled deeply. This was cutting pretty close to home. The brunette was not entirely positive that the teen would be the only one needing psychiatric assistance after their meeting, but she had to try. Right?

"Sure, I'll do it," Violet answered, "That means . . . Dell, could you shift some of my appointments back a few days?"

The young man, who had spent most of the conversation staring off into space, suddenly jumped at the sound of his name.

"Wha-? Oh. Ummm, of course." Dell started to leave the room, but then he turned, "Uh, Addison, do you mind if I come with you? I could use the field experience . . . for the midwifery."

"Field experience?" Sam and the other men chuckled at the younger man. It still humored them that Dell had chosen to study, in their eyes, one of the most feminine jobs around.

"Actually, I think that's a wonderful idea!!" Addison said, "So, I say let's go!!"

"Umm . . . don't you guys have to get your stuff together?" Naomi asked, slightly amused at the entire conversation.

"Now, usually I would say yes, but I know that Violet keeps a week's worth of clothes here just in case of emergencies, and Dell . . . well, I figured that we can get you something to wear when we get there." Addison replied, "So how bout I meet you two at my car in five?"

With nods all around, Addison and Dell left the room. Violet, however turned to talk to Pete.

"Do you think you'll be okay with Lucas for a few days?" Violet had never actually been away from her newborn son for longer than a couple hours since she had gotten him and Pete back. It wasn't that she didn't love and completely trust Pete, it was just that she was still feeling the separation anxiety associated with the reconnection with their son.

"We'll be fine, Vi. I promise." Pete leaned over and kissed the psychiatrist on the forehead, "Now go help that girl get over her heartbreaking trauma!"

* * * * *

"I hate this!!!!!!" Alex exclaimed as everyone bustled around her.

Alex had been home for a day, having been carried into her room and onto her bed when she arrived. This had been fine with her until she realized that she couldn't even read her book, because it was at the other side of the room, and she wasn't allowed to walk over there. Alex had to stoop down to a new low, and call downstairs to ask someone to retrieve the book that was less than fifteen feet away. This was only the beginning of the horror that was bed rest.

This morning, she had decided that if she didn't watch TV or _something_, she would die of boredom, so Ryan and Sandy (with Seth's supervision, of course) carried the pregnant girl down to the couch in the living room. That had been ten minutes ago, and Alex had officially decided that she was sick of bed rest. Everyone else got to get up, walk around, and_ leave the house_, while she could only sit or lay down. The best she could do was walk to the bathroom and back, and even then she could only stay on her feet for five minutes a day!!

"Well that's too bad, now isn't it?" Kirsten said to the unhappy girl, "You're just going to have to deal for the next two months."

"Uh!" Alex punched the pillow next to her.

Marissa walked over and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, "At least it will be easier for me to get into your pants if you're already laying down."

Before Alex could respond, Ryan chimed in from the kitchen, "Except that Bridget said no strenuous activities –including sex."

Alex wanted to cry, "F. My Life!!!!!"

Sandy breezed past on his way out the door, "Just remember, two months!"

"Actually," Seth said from his spot on the other side of the couch, "The Book says around a month and a half for women expecting twins."

Since she had gotten home from the hospital, Seth had taken it upon himself to become the Pregnancy Master so he had started reading all of the pregnancy books around the house. Now, he had decided to reread his favorite, '_What to Expect When You're Expecting'._ It was also driving Alex completely insane.

"Thank you, oh great Pregnancy Virtuoso. I am honored to be on the receiving end of your advanced knowledge and wisdom," Alex replied, partially sneering at his know-it-all tone.

"I am glad to see that your hospital trip did not affect your sarcasm," Seth replied with his typical enthusiasm.

"Don't you have school to get to?" It was either get him away from her, or have her go into labor during the murder trial.

Kirsten jumped into action at the question, "Yes they all do, and I have work to get to so let's hit the road!"

Ryan took that opportunity to grab Seth by the collar of his shirt and start to drag him out of the house. As much as he loved Seth, the brooding teen knew that his surrogate brother was getting on Alex's last raw nerve and Ryan, like everyone else, had intended to make sure Alex was as stress-free as humanly possible. Which meant that he had to keep Seth as far away from the pregnant blonde as possible. All Alex really needed was a couple days to get used to her 'solitary confinement' and then Ryan had decided that he could release Seth back into her personal space.

"Don't forget to eat lots of vitamin C and protein!" Seth yelled as his ass was hauled out of the house after his mother and Ryan.

Marissa stood next to the couch and peered down at her girlfriend. For some reason, Alex had been pulling away from her ever since she had been discharged the day before. Her touches were not as gentle, her kisses were more curt and much less sweet, and her eyes. The looks her eyes gave Marissa were filled with sadness and disappointment, something Marissa was completely confused about.

"If you want, I could skip today and stay here with you," Marissa figured that the only way for her to get to the bottom of what was wrong with Alex was to sit with her and talk.

"No!" Alex replied coldly before softening her tone, "You should get to school. You've missed enough already Besides Helena and Dorinda are coming to stay here during the day for the rest of their trip."

The look Marissa gave her almost had Alex retracting her statement. Marissa looked so heart-broken and lost, and it killed her not to be there holding the brunette. But the blonde couldn't do that. She didn't know what was going on with Marissa, but she needed to find a way to confront the younger girl about it. Alex was not willing to risk herself or the twins for whatever was going on with Marissa. But if it was something bad, then the brunette could need help getting out of it. In either case, Alex needed to know, and the blonde needed at least the entire school day to figure out what she was going to say.

Alex had been so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Marissa kissing her on her forehead, then leaving the house until the door slammed shut. Suddenly every part of Alex wanted to run after Marissa and talk through whatever was happening to them. . . but she couldn't. All she could do was sit on the couch and listen as the woman she loved drove of towards her school.

Alex sighed, _'This is gonna be a long two months.'_

_

* * *

So I decided to change how I ended this chapter o that I can extend the story!!!!! :D _

_I will hopefully be updating this after I finish updating _Ask_ and _Don't Hate Me_._

_I really hope this will tide you over._


	17. Chapter 16

_**It's Crazy How Tings Work Out For the Better.**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own The O.C. or it's characters. Even though the thought is appealing. . . _

_Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I am alive! YAY! And I am also very apologetic. Let me start out by saying I hate school, more specifically Grade/Year 12. . . it is evil and it ruins free time. . . .and creates mental blocks that can go on for months. . . . . __ Needless to say, I had to take a hiatus for a little while._

_BUT now I am back! And I am so ready to go! Which means that you get updates! And not one every few months. . . Frequent ones! Yay! So. . I REALLY hope no one hates me too much. . . . :S_

**Chapter 16**

Marissa glanced up at the clock for the nineteenth time. It was almost as though time went extra slowly when she was in math class. It was unfair. She _needed_ to get out of there; to get to him. It was no longer a want. Volchok had just gotten this really good stuff, this pure stuff; it gave her images that bypassed anything she'd ever seen before. She had seen everything so much more clearly; colors, shapes . . . she could even see smells, and time! Marissa had _seen time_! She had watched it bend and form and wrap around every single thing, and had loved every second of it.

But now Marissa was coming down from her high, and she was out of the stuff. So there she sat in the middle of math class, waiting very impatiently for that telltale phone call from Volchok telling her that he was outside with her package. Her fingers twitched in anticipation.

"Hey, Coop! Have you even been listening to me?" Summer whispered harshly at her spaced out friend, "You have had that stupid look on your face for ages! You do realize that all this stuff is gonna be on the test, right?"

Marissa wanted to care, she really did, but the second Summer had posed the question, Marissa's phone buzzed, informing its owner of the arrival of her package.

"Listen Sum, you're taking notes for me, right?" Marissa assumed as she rushed out the classroom door, "Thanks!"

As they watched her leave, Marissa's three best friends shook their heads unhappily.

"She's using again," Ryan thought he'd voice what they already knew.

"Alex doesn't need this," Seth added.

Summer looked at the boys worriedly, "Do you think she knows?"

Ryan sighed again, "She knows. And she's blaming herself."

"Which means more stress on her and the babies," Summer realized.

"We need to stop this," Seth said, "Like, NOW!"

It was really late when Volchok dropped Marissa off at the Cohens. When she had met up with him at the school, he had insisted that they go back to his place for a little while. He thought that maybe Marissa would want to try a higher dose before she paid for her drugs. So they took a bigger hit, and even through the hyper responsive mind warp, Marissa realized that she needed to wait that hit out and not go anywhere until she was coming out of her high. Even though she couldn't understand what the entire situation could do to her girlfriend, she was still partially aware of the fact that she did love Alex, and that Alex would not be able to handle it if she saw her high off her ass. So she sat and rode her waves of ecstasy into her present situation seven hours later.

"We should do that more often," Volchok laughed as Marissa clumsily grabbed all of her stuff out of his car, "You and me, my place. We had fun."

Marissa giggled, "You make it sound like we slept together this time. We have not slept together since I got back with Alex," Marissa grabbed the rest of her stuff, and turned to go inside.

"Marissa," he almost purred at her, "If you're so 'In Love' with your girlfriend, then why do you come to see me?"

As he drove down the driveway, Marissa realized that he was right. She didn't want him; she wanted Alex. It was just that she _needed_ him. That was the problem.

Marissa was very well versed in how to sneak into a house. After living with Caleb Nichol and Julie Cooper-Nichol, who wouldn't be? However, what Marissa failed to take into account was the fact that her sneaking quality did not have to be as impressive in their presence, since they were practically oblivious to her. In the Cohen house, that was an entirely different matter.

Getting into the house would be easy. Everyone was asleep, and she had nothing to worry about. It was finding a suitable excuse for where she had disappeared to that would become her problem. Why was everyone so suspicious of her?

"It's nice to see that you bother to show up here, instead of the way you behave at home."

Marissa froze at the sound of her mother's voice.

'_Did Volchok take me to the wrong house?'_ Marissa thought for only a second, before she got her answer.

The lights flicked on to reveal Julie, Kirsten, Sandy, and worst of all Samantha all scattered across the Cohen's living room with looks of contempt on their faces.

Marissa groaned, "I am SOO not sober enough for an Intervention."

"Because _that_ was the right thing to say in front of us," Samantha rolled her eyes at the young girl.

Julie got up and let her daughter over to one of the couches, "Marissa we are all worried about you. You seem to be going down a very destructive path and-"

"Shut up, Mom!" Marissa exclaimed, "I really don't give a rat's ass about you guys and your little group trying to stop my 'destructive tendencies'! All you need to do is shut up, and butt out."

Marissa realized a second too late that that was the wrong thing to say, when she saw fire rush into Samantha's eyes. When the five foot four woman crossed the entire room in what looked to be a stride and a half, Sandy felt the need to put himself in Samantha's way JUST in case she had been planning to hurt the teenager.

"Marissa, I like you; I always have," Samantha said after shaking Sandy off, "You are pleasant and fun to be around, and a lot of other good things. So don't think that I haven't seen good in you."

Samantha suddenly got very close to Marissa, "See, the thing that putting a hindrance on me currently seeing you in a good light is Alex," At the mention of Alex's name, Marissa looked up at the older woman, "Everything that you're doing to yourself is killing her. She hasn't slept since she started to realize that there was something off with you."

Marissa shook her head, trying to clear the tears out of her eyes, "Alex doesn't know anything. Stop lying to me . . ."

"I am not lying, Marissa. Today, all she did was sit around and ball her eyes out," Samantha dropped her voice down to a harsh whisper when she realized that she was close to screaming, "Alex sat around and cried for you, and all you did was get high. It amazes me that you claim that you love her, but you can't even care about her."

"I do care!" Marissa hissed at her elder, "I do care about Alex. . . . and the twins. I . . . . love them."

"It's one thing for you to say it," everyone looked up stunned when they saw Alex standing on the stairs, "But it's completely different for you to _actually_ mean it."

Kirsten was the first to recover from the shock, "Alex, sweetie, you are not supposed to be on your feet. That is _kind of_ the definition of bed rest."

"I actually just came out of the bathroom and heard talking down here," Alex walked over to the group, "I came to investigate. Looks like I was missing a party."

"Alex, you should know by now that us Newpsies like to party it up all hours of the day!" Sandy said, trying to prove that levity is in fact sometimes a good thing.

Sam rolled her eyes, "Okay, Sandy, I haven't been a teenager for . . . A while, and I know that that was _beyond_ a fail at being cool."

"Fair enough."

Kirsten waved Sandy off, "Alex, you really should not be up. You are supposed to be in bed."

"She's right Sweetie," Samantha chimed in, "Maybe you should wait until we talk to the doctor before you start standing around for long periods of time."

If anyone hadn't been worried about Alex and her terribly fragile condition, the minute they saw her waver and reach out blindly for the couch, the entire intervention assembly had flocked around her.

"It's ok, we'll be fine," Alex said to no avail, as Kirsten pushed her hair behind her ears, and Samantha rubbed her back.

"Do you need anything?" Julie asked one of her rare bouts of kindness.

"Yeah, I mean, I could get you something to drink," Marissa suggested while resting a hand on Alex's belly, "Or maybe some of that really awesome Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream that you have been craving rece-"

Alex moved her hand away, "Stop. Please stop. I can't handle this right now."

"Handle what?" Marissa felt very confused, though that could have been some of the after effects of her high.

"Handle you, or your drugs," Alex sighed, "I cannot handle all of your shit, when there is a really big possibility that I could lose my _children_."

Marissa glanced around at the others, "Al, you're not going to lose them . . . ."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing about you," Alex stood up and started up the stairs, "You know, that doctor is supposed to be here tomorrow. Maybe you could do me a favor and _**not**_ be around."

As an uneasy silence fell over the Cohens living room area, four very sneaky people snuck back into the pool house.

"Well this is just wonderful," Penelope sighed, "Marissa gets re-hooked on drugs, and Alex starts on a downward spiral of depression. Can't anything good happen to our family?"

"You have been divorced twice, Samantha is a closeted lesbian, I am still a tight-ass who hasn't been on a date in ten years, Helena lost her dream job, Thea may or may not have HIV, and our baby sister is pregnant at eighteen," Dorinda looked around at her sisters, "What the hell do you think?"

"We are so screwed up," Helena said before leaning her head on Penelope's shoulder.

"We are so screwed," Thea stated, her Aussie accent as rich as ever, "And the worst part is the one person who could help us get through everything just got terrible news handed to her on a platter."

"We are the older sisters. It's our job to take care of her; make sure she is emotionally and physically okay," Penelope shook her head in disgust, "But we can't even do that! Alex is always there to pick us off the ground, and suddenly, the one time she desperately needs us, we stand here useless!" The Brit sighed, "What are we going to do?"

"We are going to sit in there with her tomorrow," Sam's voice broke them out of there musings as she walked into the room, "We will sit there and support her, and hope to God that our problems don't come out for a while. There is already enough drama and stress for her in Newport without us adding to it."

"So we're in agreement then," Helena held her pinky out to the others, "We support Alex, and shut the hell up about our own problems."

"Agreed," Penelope wrapped her pinky around Helena's.

"Agreed," Sam stuck her pinky next to the first two.

"Let's hope to hell that it all doesn't come out," Dorinda added her pinky into the group.

"And if it does-" Thea put hers in as well.

"_Don't let Alex know_," And with that, the Kelly pinky swear had been made.

_So there it is! My next chapter! And look at that! I created more conflict. . . And I gave Alex's sisters a purpose! If you all can't remember what they look like, go back to my profile, I still have their pictures up. And as another reminder, Penelope has a British accent, and Thea has an Australian accent. The thing is, when I write this, and read it over, everyone has their accents, and their quirks. But I realized, that you might not read it the same way. So yeah! It's 4:20 am here and I am _totally _rambling. . . . as usual. I really hope you liked it! And again, I am sooooooo sorry!_


End file.
